Obituary of Rosalia Tapia

Rosalia Ortiz Tapia, born on June 6, 1917 in Rowe, New Mexico to her father Favian Ortiz and mother, Cleotilde Archuleta Ortiz died peacefully on August 18, 2022 in the company of her loving family. She was 105 years old and died of natural causes. 

In her lifetime she was a dedicated wife to her husband Rafael G. Tapia and a caring and loving mother and grandmother to her family. 

She took care of her children with ultimate love, working and cleaning and making our house a wonderful home to grow up in. She participated in her community and attended school functions involving her children and being an active voter in the same Gonzales School precinct for over 40 years.  She was a devout catholic and recited the rosary nightly and attended church regularly.

She was a joy to be with on simple visits, picnics, drive-in movies, drives to visit family members and visits to beautiful Rowe. She was a most wonderful counselor and friend. We will miss her company very much.

She is survived by her sons, Ralph O. Tapia, Jr., Joseph S. Tapia (Patsy Pacheco), Billy A. Tapia and her daughters Cleotilde (Tillie) Leyba, Diana Gonzales (Patrick Gonzales) and 20 grandchildren, numerous great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, as well as numerous nephews, nieces, family and friends. 

In her eternal peace she joins her father Fabian and mother Cleotilde, her husband Rafael G. Tapia Sr.; her sons David Jose, Eloy, Jerry, Rudy and her daughters Viola Lopez, Avelina, and Mary E. McKenna. In her heavenly home, she will also join her siblings Pablo, Aurelia, Piedad, Socorro, Betty and Victoria, and her beloved grandson Sheridan McKenna, Jr. and son-in-law Hilario Leyba.  

A visitation with a rosary to follow will be held at 3:00pm at Riverside Funeral Home, in Santa Fe on Thursday, August 25th. Another rosary will be held on Friday, August 26th at 10:00am with a mass of Christian burial at 11:00am at St. Anne’s Parish with the burial to follow at Rosario Cemetery. A reception at the church will follow. The pallbearers will be Ralph O. Tapia, Jr. Joseph S. Tapia, Billy A. Tapia, Leo Leyba, Patrick Gonzales, and Michael Rodriguez. Honorary pallbearers are all of Rosalia’s grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.