Obituary of Carolyn Tappan

Carolyn (Johnson) Tappan, 62 of Riverside, IA, lost her long fight with cancer on Thursday, August 25th, 2023.

She was born in Waterloo, Iowa on July 25th, 1961. She married her best friend, high school sweetheart, and the love of her life, (Kevin) on May 25th, 1985, at the Welsh Church in Sharon Center. She graduated from West High School (Iowa City) and attended Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa. Carolyn worked at the University of Iowa College of Law from 1980 until she had to retire due to health issues in 2015.

Carolyn was an avid artifact hunter and could be seen walking local fields for hours. She loved spending time on the beach in Port Aransas Texas and at the cabin in Northeast Iowa.

She is survived by her husband Kevin (Riverside); children Trent (Emilee) of North Liberty and Carly Tappan (Paul Shatek) of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren Tate Tappan and Sawyer Shatek; mother, Donna (Haafke) Johnson; aunt, JoAnn Haafke (Omaha); niece, Nicole (Murphy) Kruse and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Carolyn is preceded in death by twin sister, Marilyn (Johnson) Lawrence; father, H. Wayne Johnson; mother-in-law, Constance Tappan; and other aunts, uncles, and in-laws.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the H. Wayne & Donna Johnson Scholarship for Social Work through the University of Iowa or to Iowa City hospice.

A time for celebrating Carolyn’s life will be held from 4 to 7 pm Friday, September 1, 2023, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service, please join her family in remembering Carolyn with your memories and support, thank you.