Colonel Robert Lewie Chappelle, USAF (Retired)

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Colonel Robert Lewie Chappelle, USAF (Retired)

Col. Robert L. (Bob) Chappelle, USAF (Ret.), a longtime resident of Orange Beach, Alabama, passed away May 23, 2018 at his home following an extended illness and 10-year battle with cancer.

He was preceded in death by his father, Lewie A. Chappelle; and mother, Zedie M. Chappelle.

Bob was an outstanding USAF pilot and a patriot who honored his country by defending it with pride. During his years of service, he accumulated more than 6,000 flight hours in a variety of aircraft, including the B-52 and EB-66 during three combat tours in Vietnam. Bob retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 1982. He had a lifelong passion for flying, the Air Force and his country.

Born in Mobile, Alabama on Nov. 17, 1936, Bob was raised in Gulfport, Mississippi and Montgomery, Alabama. Bob graduated from Sydney Lanier High School in Montgomery in 1954, and from the University of Alabama in 1958.

He is survived by his wife, Joy Chappelle; and sons, John P. Chappelle of Fairhope and Robert L. Chappelle Jr. (Helen Pinkston) of Mobile; granddaughter, Hannah of Mobile; and grandson, Grayson of Nashville.