Trending
PHOENIX -- Chad M. Chambers, 71, passed away peacefully on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, at his home in Phoenix, Arizona.
Born on Dec. 16, 1954, in Warren, Chad graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1973 before setting out to see the world -- and see it he did.
Chad attended Ohio University, earning a degree in geography and later received a master's degree in international business from the University of South Carolina. His career carried him far from Warren. He worked for the U.S. government, then for an advertising agency in Paris, and later lived and worked in Germany and Cambodia. He became, in every sense, a citizen of the world.
In time, Chad owned and operated a bar in Thailand called Chester's, named after his own nickname, "Chester," before eventually returning to the United States. Chad loved giving nicknames to the people around him, making it only fitting that one of his own would become the name over the door.
In 1999, Chad married Ratana Chambers, known and loved by everyone as "O," "Mama O," "Aunt Oh," and "OH." Together they made their home in Phoenix, Arizona, where they spent the past 20 years.
Chad grew up in a Warren that was losing its footing -- an industrial town emptying out around him -- and for decades he searched the globe for a place that felt like home. He finally found it in a small community in Phoenix, where love, friendship and family caught up with him and where he spent his final 20 years.
In retirement, Chad marched to his own drummer -- figuratively, he built his own. An avid cyclist with a particular fondness for Italian road bikes, he filled his days tinkering around the house, building models and doing masonry work. He passed down his generational masonry skills to several close friends.
Chad loved block walls, desert living, fine food and drink and sharing his appreciation for culture. He was a devoted viewer of the Tour de France, cycled in the Pyrenees and eagerly shared books and stories with anyone interested in travel, food, wine and, of course, cycling.
He was preceded in death by his father, Wayne Chambers; his mother, Shirlee Chambers of Warren; and his brother, Todd Chambers of Sweden.
He is survived by his wife, Ratana Chambers, of Phoenix; his brother, Bryan Chambers, and Bryan's wife, Florence (Marchionda), of Warren; his niece, Katie Gatto, of Boston; his nephew, Matt, of Seattle; and his niece, Julia and nephew, Carl "CJ," of Sweden.
A celebration of Chad's life will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, where his ashes will be spread on Piestewa Peak -- a fitting resting place for a man who never stopped climbing toward home.
Please email mattmumford1@yahoo.com if you wish to attend the celebration of life on Nov. 7.
(special notice)