Maria Chapman
Maria Chapman, 5-year-old daughter of Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed Wednesday when accidentally run over in the family’s Franklin, TN, driveway by one of her older brothers, compounding the tragedy. Wrote the Chapman’s manager…
Just hours before this close knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman’s completion of high school. Now, they are preparing to bury a child who blew out 5 candles on a birthday cake less than 10 days ago.
There’s more to the story of the unique Chapman family:
More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world.
Chapman has won 5 Grammys and 54 Dove Awards and has sold over 10 million albums, garnering 44 #1 singles in the process. My favorite is Dive, one of a few of my personal anthems.
But Chapman’s current hit, Cinderella, is all the more poignant when considering the loss of one of his little girls who inspired him to write it. So sad. Chapman’s explanation of the song’s impetis follows the music video:
Here’s a silly home video Chapman shot just 2 months ago featuring Maria:
I extend my sincerest condolescences to the Chapman family. The family requests donations to Shaohannah’s Hope in lieu of flowers.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Thank you so much Jill for posting this. They are in my prayers, especially the son.
Wow, that is so SAD.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord. And may perpetual light shine upon her. May the souls of the faithfully departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
That is so sad :(
I can’t even imagine how the borther feels. I think if I were in that situation I’d be on suicide watch. I hope he is able to make peace with himself and eventually forgive himself.
That’s really sad. :(
I hope the brother can forgive himself- jiminy that’s rough. :(
@Bobby: Amen
Very sad, indeed.
So sad. That poor little girl, and her poor brother.
Recently a 2 year old in my town was run over by a family member also driving an SUV.
That is so unbelievably depressing…I read about it yesterday. I was so sad for the family.
That’s a double horror for the parents…. to lose such a young child and deal with the fact that their other child contributed to the accident. I can’t even begin to understand that kind of pain. Sometimes a tragedy like this makes me reflect on how lucky I’ve been, compared to others.
A family in my parish has 10 kids. The mother was deaf. You should have seen all twelve of them lined up for 7:30am mass every Sunday. Talk about keeping kids under control with “a look”. She was an amazing woman.
The daughter was driving the family to a siblings basketball game when something fell off a truck in front of them. The van flipped, killing the mother.
The story above is so tragic. That poor boy.
There really just aren’t any words. How do you recover from something like that?
Heartbreaking. When I was younger my dad backed over our cat and killed it. I know that a cat’s live in NO WAY can be compared to that of a young child, but that incident was so painful for our whole family it makes me realize that I can’t even begin to know the pain this family is feeling.
How awful! :(
They are definitely in my prayers.
God will be glorified in the midst this family’s grief.
If any of you get a chance please listen to Steven’s song Grieve With Hope. He wrote it for the families of the students who died in the school shooting in Paducah, KY. His hometown. The song of course holds special meaning for the whole family right now.
Sorry. The song is called With Hope.
Doyle, exactly – it sure makes one feel lucky in comparison.
MK, I wonder about recovering from that, for the teenage boy. I hope he does, but that’d stick with somebody, eh?
This is just so, so sad, and so terribly tragic…. I feel so terrible for what this family is going through right now!
Carla, amen to your 9:24 post.
My thoughts and prayers are with you, Chapman family.
Oh, Carla, I completely forgot that Steven had written that song–a song that has brought comfort to SO many families in their times of grief, some whom I know personally. The Chapmans seem like amazing and genuine Christian people.
I was so shaken when I read this news in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, and I couldn’t stop crying and praying for this family–little Maria is in the arms of Jesus now, I know. But this family now has to go on, grieving the loss of one child and trying to help heal the hurts of their son. :( I cannot even begin to imagine their pain at this moment.
They are all in my prayers.
There is no condemnation in Christ.
Their pastor has not left their house since the accident. I’m sure that he is a blessing to the Chapman family.
I think that there must not be anything harder than losing one’s child; except losing one’s child and trying to help another child heal and forgive himself for contributing to that loss.
In “The Ten Questions God Always Says Yes To”, one of the questions is “God, help me get through this.” He will help the Chapmans, I’m sure.
My prayers and condolences are with the Chapman family.
Let’s all be thankful for our blessings and appreciate our loved ones.
Please have a safe Memorial Day weekend all.
Right on, HisMan. Have a great time, everybody.
Again, amazingly sad…
Dr. Lyn,
I am reading that book right now. Yes, God will not abandon that family. When asked for help through excruciating pain, God ALWAYS says YES!
“Cinderella”
What a beautiful song by a thoughtful father! Maria is smiling down on her family, I’m sure!
Chapman family tragedy update
I wrote in May of the tragic death of Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest daughter Maria. Compounding the pain, it was her teenage brother who ran over Maria in the family driveway. The Chapmans, including brother Will Franklin,…
This happened to my family. Healing does happen. But, everyone in the family is forever cahnged. The son (it was also my son) needs to focus on leading the life that Maria would wish for him, and do wonderful things in her memory.
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