Obituary - Portia Shirley Matthews Chapman

Portia Shirley Mathews Chapman died unexpectedly from a stroke on Friday, November 22, 2013, in Lone Tree, Colorado at the age of 83. Shirley was born on June 23, 1930 in Toronto, Canada. Daughter of Corinna Fowler Mathews and US Navy Rear Admiral Bob Orr Mathews, Shirley's childhood featured frequent relocations, she attended fourteen schools. Her fondest memories were of Milford High School in Milford Pennsylvania. She graduated from Western High School, Washington D.C., in 1947. Shirley attended Goucher College and the University of North Carolina, where she was an Alpha Gamma Delta and became an avid Tar Heels basketball fan. She married in 1950 and has four children. After divorcing, Shirley returned to college at University of Colorado, completing her B.S. in Psychology in 1974. Shirley was an accomplished parliamentarian, a Professional Registered Parliamentarian of the National Association of Parliamentarians and a Certified Professional Parliamentarian of the American Institute of Parliamentarians. She was active in several units, including the Professional Parliamentary Research Unit and held the offices of Vice-President and Treasurer of the Colorado Association of Parliamentarians, as well as being active on committees. She frequently taught parliamentary law by chairing public workshops, units and classes. Shirley often wrote bylaws, was a convention parliamentarian, wrote and published articles and skits, and made speeches about General Robert, author of Robert's Rules of Order and her grandfather. Most of all, Shirley enjoyed consulting and unraveling esoteric parliamentary problems. In addition, Shirley worked at Safeway for many years and served as Union Steward and Recorder/Secretary for UFCW Local 7. She loved playing games, camping, cooking, and discussing metaphysical and religious thinking. Shirley dedicated herself to her children and to her love of Parliamentary Law. She is survived by her four children: Robert Warren Chapman, William Mathews Chapman, Corinna Chapman Fry Robert, and Patricia Lilise Chapman Kuehmann. She is additionally survived by ten grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Services will be held at a later date. (Published in the Denver Post on December 8, 2013)