James Crossan Chaplin IV

James Crossan Chaplin IV; Jim passed away peacefully on August 24, age 86, his wife Nancy Scarton Chaplin holding his hand.  Born on March 20, 1933 to the late James Crossan Chaplin III and Gretchen Magdalen Brown Chaplin, Jim was a lifelong resident of Sewickley, Pennsylvania.  Jim was an investment professional, community leader, oenophile and fierce Pittsburgh Steelers fan.  He graduated from Princeton University in 1955 and served his country on the DEW line in the Arctic Circle as a 1^st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1959. Devoted to his hometown, Jim served on the boards and as an officer of the old Sewickley Post Office Corp., the Sewickley Cemetery, and the Leet Township Municipal Authority.  His life was enriched by music, books, travel, friends, family and a long line of very good dogs, including Percy, Zorro, Moose, Muscles, Farley and Tupper.  Jim was preceded in death by his daughter, Laura Jennings Chaplin, his former wife, Carol Cushing Chaplin, and his sisters Joan Chaplin Waters and Gail Chaplin Barry. In addition to his wife, Jim is survived by his sister Sandra Chaplin McCarthy and her husband Dennis, son William Craig Chaplin II, grandson James Hepburn Chaplin, stepdaughter, Elizabeth Preston Mullaugh, stepchildren, Bruce and Nancy Rankin and their children Foster, Charlie, Ben and Will, and Gordon and Kelly Rankin, nieces, nephews, and his former wife, Tinker Chaplin Whitaker. A Celebration of Jim’s life will be held on Sunday, September 29 at Allegheny Country Club at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, followed by a reception.  Donations may be made in Jim’s memory to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Sewickley Public Library, or the Sewickley Cemetery Foundation. Arrangements by Copeland’s of Sewickley.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James Crossan Chaplin IV, please visit our floral store.