A memorial service will be held for the late Hervey Chapman on Tuesday, February 22 at the Inglewood Park Cemetary on 720 East Florence Ave., in Inglewood CA.
Chapman, longtime owner of the Verdugo Pet Shop on York Boulevard, died Thursday, January 27 at UCLA Medical Center at the age of 73.
Chapman was diagnosed with leukemia after a coughing fit landed him in Sherman Oaks Hospital shortly after Christmas. Since then, Hervey had been moved to UCLA Medical Center, where he was undergoing chemotherapy.
An avid runner, dancer, hiker and animal lover, Chapman was best known as the shy, on 5022 York Blvd. Chapman was also a devoted clogger, who had even installed a clogging floor in his home where he would practice his dancing.
Hervey had run in 20 marathons and 143 half-marathons and had already registered for this year's Los Angeles marathon. His brother, Wayne Chapman, said Hervey's primary training technique included lifting 50 pound bags of feed at the pet shop.
Born on New Year's Day in 1938 in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sherman Oaks, Chapman had a natural kinship with animals since he was a young man, family members said.
He briefly served in the United States Armed Forces as a youth, before returning to Los Angeles to open the Verdugo Pet Shop.
