Carolyn Grace (Johnson) Tagatz

Carolyn Grace (Johnson) Tagatz passed away peacefully on February 8, 2026, surrounded by her loved ones and her beloved cats, Handful and Princess.

Carolyn earned the affectionate nickname “Nine Lives Tagatz” after recovering from a hip fracture in 2022, Stage 3 colon cancer in 2024, and, most recently, her battle with Stage 4 kidney cancer. She was a fighter until the very end and faced her suffering with remarkable dignity and grace.

Carolyn was born on September 2, 1934, in Runnells, Iowa, to Ruth and Clarence Johnson. Her early years were spent on the family farm with her two older brothers, Robert and Jack Johnson. It was there that Carolyn developed her lifelong love of animals.

When Carolyn was eight, the family moved to Des Moines. Three years later, she lost her status as the youngest child when her sister, Sue, arrived. Carolyn loved having a younger sister—and, as an older sister, thoroughly enjoyed bossing her around.

Carolyn graduated from East High School and attended Drake University. Her dear friend from grade school, Lois Koskovich, who also attended Drake, introduced Carolyn to her future husband, Tom Tagatz. Carolyn and Tom married in April 1955 and celebrated 66 years of marriage before Tom passed away in February 2021.

Carolyn and Tom were a great team. For many years, they worked side by side, owning and operating several True Value Hardware stores in Sioux City, Iowa, and South Sioux City, Nebraska. To say there was some friendly competition between the two of them would be an understatement. Carolyn thrived in the business world and was elected the first woman to serve on Cotter & Company’s marketing board—an accomplishment that reflected her intelligence, determination, and strong work ethic.

That same energy carried over into how Carolyn played.

Sun Lakes became one of the happiest chapters of Carolyn and Tom’s life together. After years of working five or six days a week in the hardware business, they happily transitioned to golfing five or six days a week. They loved the Sun Lakes community and the many dear friends there who became like family.

Carolyn took up golf after moving to Sun Lakes in 1997 and became a good golfer and enthusiastic competitor. She was very involved in the Women’s Golf Club at Palo Verde and Cottonwood Country Clubs and served as president of the golf club. Golf became a pastime that she and Tom truly loved sharing together.

As much as they enjoyed golf, nothing meant more to Carolyn and Tom than their family. They dearly loved their three grandsons and took great joy in being grandparents. They made a tremendous effort to be present in their grandsons’ lives and took great pride in watching them grow into adults.

Carolyn remained curious, independent, and passionate about contributing to her community throughout her life. Her lifelong love of animals became especially meaningful in her later years. After discovering a litter of feral kittens in her backyard, Carolyn arranged to have the cats spayed and neutered and worked to find homes for them. She fell in love with two of the kittens herself and became determined to domesticate them.

Of course, Carolyn succeeded.

Handful and Princess became her treasured companions and gave her a renewed sense of purpose after Tom’s passing. Carolyn also made it her mission to ensure that the stray cats in her community were fed, cared for, and never forgotten.

Carolyn is survived by her two children, Thomas Tagatz of Mt. Shasta, California, and Ann (Guy) Cascella of

Golden, Colorado; her grandsons, David (Jacque) McFarlane of Milliken, Colorado, Daniel McFarlane of Denver, Colorado, and John “Jack” McFarlane of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; her great-granddaughters, Georgia McFarlane, Annabelle McFarlane, and Sonora “Nora” McFarlane; and her younger sister, Sue Renaud of Altoona, Iowa.

Carolyn will be deeply missed by her kids, her grandsons and great-granddaughters, her family, and the many friends whose lives she touched, especially those in her beloved Sun Lakes community.

She was a loyal friend to many and was known for her honesty, her open candor, her determination, and her unmistakable strength. Carolyn lived life on her own terms, loved deeply, worked hard, remained curious, and never stopped caring for the people and animals who needed her.

After 66 years of marriage and five years apart, Carolyn is once again at home with her Savior and her beloved Tom.

Together again.

The family will hold a celebration of Carolyn’s life in Germania, Wisconsin, in the near future.