05/15/2026
Carla Maria Tapia
Carla Maria Tapia, 77, unexpectedly passed away after a car accident coming home from church April 26th and a subsequent heart attack while receiving rehab in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. She took her last breath May 4th, 2026 in the ER at Aspirus Hospital in the arms of her son. She leaves behind a family who loved and adored her, a church community that loved and cherished her and countless lives touched and comforted by her kindness, wisdom, humor and unwavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Carla lived the last years of her life in Wisconsin Rapids alongside with, what many lovingly joked as, her “other family” -her beloved rescue cats: Socks, Breezy, Jazz, Baby Girl, and Grayson. Her compassion never stopped with just cats. Carla had a soft heart for every stray, forgotten, hungry and lonely animal that crossed her path. If there was a neighborhood cat, possum, deer or raccoon chances are, in all seasons, at one time or another, it found its way to her porch for food, shelter and love.
Despite the many very human struggles Carla had throughout her life her desire as a Christian to lay a spirit of mercy on others was the hallmark of her life’s journey. Throughout her life she dedicated herself to truly caring for others. She possessed a very rare gift from the Lord, a deep level of acceptance and empathy towards others. She often found herself compassionately caring for and praying for those she knew and loved but also for some of the most left behind by society, so often, those with both great emotional and spiritual needs.
She worked in many areas of nursing as a registered nurse but the bulk of her professional career was spent as a psychiatric nurse both at UW-Madison Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital in Madison and also working with those in drug and alcohol rehab as well as with Prison Ministries.
There are countless stories of Carla going beyond her professional work role and personally ministering and dedicating herself to people she met in her life that felt hopeless and were in desperate need for prayer, love and acceptance. She had a big heart. Later in life she followed a calling to become an ordained minister. She combined her nursing background and spiritual gifts working as a chaplain at UW-Hospital in Madison. In that role she often stood bedside with families in Critical Care facing the most devastating moments in their lives, praying with them and offering mercy and comfort in a time of immense pain. After retiring she eventually went back to work in Wisconsin Rapids humbly working as a caregiver for people in their home with the Christian based company Home-Instead. She made meals for clients, did laundry and house cleaning, and sitting and praying, always praying for them, always praying with them.
Carla’s personal life revolved around her children, grandchildren, her church family at Evergreen, her deep friendship for many decades with Marilyn Hanold, a nurse she met while working at St Mary’s Hospital, and later in life her many neighbors in Rapids whom she developed meaningful personal friendships with, as was her way. She loved helping decorate the church for holidays and special events, participated joyfully in annual church retreats, and somehow always found a way to contribute, usually through the food she prepared with incredible love and care. Feeding people was truly her love language. Nobody left her home hungry, emotionally or physically.
To her children, Carla was the spark that brightened family gatherings. She created the kind of childhood memories filled with warmth, laughter, celebration and cemented the traditions, and love of them, that will leave an indelible mark on our lives and hearts for generations. She shined on birthdays and holidays but even otherwise mundane days she transformed into memory makers because of her spirit, her humor, creativity and true desire to have fun. Her laughter was big and contagious, the kind that would toss her head back into the chair, one hand often holding a sweet chocolate treat and the other hand trying to cover her open mouth while her body shook in delightful laughter… oh, how dearly we will miss that.
In her times of solitude her joys were reading scripture, praying, singing hymns. She also loved to cook and bake. She was a great lover of fudge. She fought long and desperate battles with breakfast pastries. Always seeming to suspiciously lose. She so looked forward to the summer, spending time in her camper with family up in Rhinelander. She loved having a lunch with her best friend Marilyn, driving to Madison to spend time with Ivana when she was in town for work, weekends on the lake with her son Aaron and his family, and walking the beaches of Florida with her daughter Ivana and her family.
Carla had a gift for honesty. She often knew what you needed to hear — sometimes she told you bluntly but with humor and always with love, encouragement, and the genuine desire to help you become stronger. She would sacrifice her own comfort without hesitation for her family. She was brave, resilient, deeply faithful and will be impossible to forget.
Carla was selfless and extraordinarily generous, even during times when she had very little. She often went without material desires to give to Christian ministries in parts of the world where the needs were greater than her own. She spent the latter years of her life encouraging her children and grandchildren and showed them relentlessly how proud she was of them and how deeply they were loved. Her faith guided every part of her life and as her walk with the Lord matured it was of upmost importance to live her life in a way that pleased and honored God.
She lived a life grounded in deep faith and guided by the words of Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Through every season of her life, she leaned deeply into her relationship with God and encouraged those she loved to do the same.
She is survived by her son Aaron Sabel and his wife Amanda, along with their daughters Arianna, Ava, and Annika; and by her daughter Ivana Hein and her husband Tyson, along with their children Tenley and Jensen. Her love and influence will continue to live on through all of them.
A memorial service honoring Carla’s life will be held on May 26, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the Evergreen Center, N7101 14th Court Almond, WI 54909.
Though deeply missed here on earth, Carla’s family takes comfort in knowing she was welcomed home with the words,
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations be considered to those ministries close to Carla’s heart, the Evergreen Center in Almond, WI and also Calvary Christian Mission led by Pastor Balin and his wife, Jayamary in Chennai, India -both of whom were also friends of Carla and friends of Evergreen.
Evergreen Center
N7101 14th Court
Almond, WI 54909
715 366 7003
https://evergreencenterinc.weebly.com/
Calvary Christian Mission
www.ccm.org.in
[email protected]
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