Louie Tapia

Louie was born on August 12th, 1948, in Flagstaff, Arizona, to Eufracio Tapia and Theodora Tapia (nee Jiron).

Louie graduated from Flagstaff High School in 1967, after which he attended Northern Arizona University, earning a degree in education. After a teaching career, Louie earned his Masters in Social Work at Arizona State University.

Louie married Dolores Flores on December 8th, 1990, at the home of Alex Flores, her brother, in Tolsun Farms. The wedding was officiated by Judge Don Stump. His son from a previous marriage, Daniel, was also welcomed into the Flores family.

Louie taught at Creighton Middle School before transitioning his career to social work at Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC). There, he worked tirelessly to improve the lives of men struggling with severe addiction, and later working with underserved patients suffering from HIV/AIDS. Louie retired from CPLC in 2010, after the demands of work finally took too much toll on his tee times. Ninety percent of Louie’s wardrobe actually consisted of shirts from golf tournaments.

In addition to his work in the community, Louie was a skillful woodworker and carpenter, caretaker for his family, and rescued every dog he could find needing rescuing. If you live in Tolleson and have a dog, at some point your dog was probably in his yard while Louie looked for its parents.

Louie is best known in the neighborhood for being a relentless lover of his family, friends, and the City of Tolleson. Louie fed anyone who was hungry, gave of himself at every turn, supported the local schools, and was just a uniquely kind and decent man. Like all of us, though, he had faults. It was almost impossible to eat lunch with him, as Louie had friends at every single table. It could take up to half an hour to get to our seats and order. Also, Louie drove really, really slowly. He was never, ever, in a hurry. Louie taught everyone patience from the passenger seat. Louie was an exceptional cook, using his food to tell everyone how much he loved them. After his community of family and friends, he will be very missed by the local Costco. Louie made Tolleson a better place to live in every way except our waistlines. Louie’s greatest superpower was how he made others feel. He made them feel loved, respected, valued, and renewed. We are all a little less today because of Louie’s passing.

Louie is survived by his wife, Dolores; beloved dog, Bogie; son, Daniel; daughter-in-law, Kristen; grandchildren, Charles, Sarah Theodora, and Edward; brothers Ray, Charlie, Eufracio, and Herbert, an insane amount of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and more. The Tapias and the Flores have been quite prolific.

Preceding Louie are his parents, Eufracio and Theodora Tapia; his brother, Rudy; his sister, Isabel, and his best friend, David Yniguez, who beat him to the finish line by only two days.

Services will be held 10 to 11 a.m. on January 7th, at Crystal Rose Funeral Services in Tolleson. Following services, visitation will be open until 2 p.m.

Crystal Rose is located at 9155 W Van Buren St., Tolleson, AZ, 85353

Memorial donations in Louie’s memory may be directed to https://valleywisehealthfoundation.org/ or https://azsmalldog.org/donate/