Joan "Joanie" M. Chappel

Joan "Joanie" Chappel, 71, of Butler died peacefully on Friday, September 25th at Sunnyview nursing home. Born November 29th, 1948, in Pittsburgh, PA, she was the daughter of the late Coy "Jim" Chappel and Eileen O'Connor Chappel. Ms. Chappel is survived by her daughter Erin Beeson of Berkeley, CA; her son-in-law Chris Prochnow; three sisters, Kate (the late Charles) Goessler of Perrysville, Susan (Clay) McLeod of Wexford, and Carole (Sonny) Michaels of Economy. Ms. Chappel will be greatly missed by her seven nieces and nephews and nine great nieces and nephews who all loved and adored her. She built life-long friendships with loyal friends who will miss her very much. Ms. Chappel graduated in 1966 from North Hills High School. She started her professional career as a dance instructor at Arthur Murray in Charleston, SC. Her love of writing, took her to Los Angeles, CA and later to Nashville, TN. Ms. Chappel was a talented and prolific writer of both songs and children's books. She moved back to Pittsburgh in later years to reconnect with family and care for her father. Ms. Chappel enjoyed gardening, skiing, creating stained glass, sewing, and other crafts. She had a talent for decorating and loved collecting antiques and vintage clothing. She always enjoyed learning new things and took classes at both Pitt and Carlow to continue learning about her many interests. She believed in service, and volunteered as a bell ringer with the Salvation Army every holiday season, taught ballroom dancing to the blind when she lived in California, started a phone bank to campaign for Obama in 2012, and volunteered with Veterans Affairs. She loved vacationing with her family and spending time at the beach. A private memorial will be held with close family. Burial will be in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Marshall Township. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Council of Pittsburgh Attn: Development Team 1501 Reedsdale Street Suite 3003 Pittsburgh, PA 15233.