Memorial
Tara (Tammi) Youells, 63, of Cedar Rapids died September 22, 2017 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was born in Boone, Iowa, the middle daughter of Bill and Val (McFadden) Youells. She attended school in Boone, Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids, where she graduated from Kennedy High School in 1971. Tara went on to receive her BA in Social Work from the University of Iowa.
In 1975, she married high school sweetheart Chris Carman and they became true partners in life. In addition to Chris, Tara is survived by son Ryan (fiancée Felicia), daughter Lia (husband Elsworth), and grandson Harvey (beloved toy Lovey Bear). Her sister, Randi Youells of Cedar Rapids also survives her and was Tara’s shopping and sparring partner from an early age. Her Aunt Dawn and Uncle Roger Anderberg of Cedar Rapids also survive her. She was preceded in death by younger sister Shaun, mother Val, father Bill and brother-In-law Frank Gerry.
Tara spent her career providing support and advocacy for people left out of society’s mainstream, including those who were poor, elderly, intellectually challenged, homeless or emotionally fragile. She was not genetically wired to take direction from a supervisor within a traditional organization (and there are stories, believe us), but she fought hard to better the lives of people left on the fringes. She also excelled at working with volunteers who put in countless hours serving people in need or hurting. Tara worked at the ARC, DHS, Abbe Community Care, Johnson County Mental Health Center, Faith-In-Action (as director), Hospice of Mercy and the Free Community Health Clinic. She was loved by many, found to be irksome by a few, but she always focused on helping others. A co-worker in Johnson County said, “Tara worked with people that society considered the lowest of the low, but she treated them as the highest of the high.”
She loved her family fiercely and was deeply loved in return. Her passions included baking, gardening, dogs, children, mystery books, good food, semi-cheating at cards and a very dry gin martini with three green olives. She LOVED being a Grandma and was able to delight in her grandson Harvey for almost two years. In addition to ovarian cancer, Tara successfully fought breast cancer in 1998. Tara was both a breath of fresh air and a force of nature. We were blessed to have her sweep through our lives. We mourn our loss, but are relieved she is no longer tethered to a body riddled with cancer.
We are grateful for the compassionate care she received from numerous CNAs, nurses and doctors both at UIHC and Mercy; most notably Dr. Michael Goodheart and Dr. Erin Salinas at UIHC and Dr. Sam Wood and Dr. Wayne Alberts at Mercy. We are also immensely grateful to Hospice of Mercy nurse Cindy Stoddard who helped us so much during Tara’s final weeks.
A Celebration of Life for Tara will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 30th at Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories, 4200 First Ave NE Cedar Rapids. Guests may visit with the family starting at 10 AM the day of the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the “Tara Youells Family” for several causes dear to Tara’s heart.