Mary Louise Tapella
Mary Louise Tapella passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Dallas, Texas at the age of 101.
Mary Louise was born on July 14, 1922, in San Francisco, California to George Albert Hood and Anna Catherine Metzler Hood and spent her childhood in Denver, Colorado. A lifelong caregiver, she chose a career in nursing and graduated from St. Anthony Hospital Nursing School in 1943. Mary Louise started her career as a registered nurse, before the widespread use of antibiotics, at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco; she often quipped that they treated Pneumonia with a mustard paste. She later returned to Denver and St. Anthony’s where a friend introduced her to her future husband, Henry (Hank) Tapella. Hank took the train from St. Louis, Missouri to Denver to meet her and accompany her to an alumni dance. After countless letters and a brief engagement, they were married on March 31, 1951, in Denver. Hank and Mary Louise moved to St. Louis and they built a life together, giving birth to their daughter, Mary Elizabeth (Beth), in 1953. Mary Louise welcomed countless family and friends into her home, taking care of sick relatives and often feeding Bishops and Priests. For Mary Louise, caring for others didn’t stop when her shift ended.
Following the sudden death of Hank in 1982, Mary Louise moved to Midland, Michigan to be closer to her daughter and her family. After eight years in Midland, she followed her daughter and her four grandchildren to Katy, Texas in 1993. She became an active member of Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church where she spent over 20 years serving the parish and her community. Epiphany was home for Mary Louise. She was involved in nearly every ministry at Epiphany and was well known for her daily hugs to the office staff. When she wasn’t volunteering, she was a regular at her grandchildren’s school and extracurricular events, and as her grandchildren started families of their own, she found great joy in playing with her nine great grandchildren, to whom she was affectionately known as “Meese”.
She leaves behind her devoted daughter, Beth Williams (Bruce) of Georgetown, Texas; grandchildren, Cristina Sevadjian (Greg) and Michael Petrini (Kristen) of Dallas, Texas and Christopher Petrini (Allison) and Jonathan Petrini (Mikhaila) of Austin, Texas; siblings, Robin Hood (Virginia) and Nancy McGovern (Bob); great grandchildren, Thomas, Dean, Sam, Crew, Mia, Margot, William, Luca, and Nina; and numerous other family members and friends.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Henry (Hank) Tapella; parents, George Albert Hood and Anna Catherine Metzler Hood; and siblings, George Hood and Marjorie Gibson.
A Funeral Mass and reception to follow will be held on Saturday, May 4th at 11:00 a.m. at the St. Austin Catholic Church in Austin, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in her memory to: National Multiple Sclerosis Society, P.O. Box 91891, Washington, D.C. 20090, www.nationalmssociety.org or to Covenant House Texas, 1111 Lovett Blvd, Houston, TX 77006, www.covenanthousetx.org.
Schmidt Funeral Home
1508 East Avenue ~ Katy, Texas 77493 ~ (281) 391-2424