Headstone for Brenda L. Howard Tapia
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- Legacies Classification
- Memorial Type
- Memorial Context
- Memorialized Subject
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- Background and Context
- Physical Description
- Memorial Inscription
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- Location: Institution, City, State
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Memorial Artwork
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Sculptural Memorial
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Tapia, Brenda L. Howard
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Headstone for Brenda L. Howard Tapia
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Reverend Brenda L. Howard Tapia, an employee of Davidson College and active community member died on February 4, 2020 at age 70. She passed at the Levine-Dickson Hospice Center at Aldersgate in Charlotte weeks after suffering a stroke. Born on August 27, 1949, Tapia was raised in Davidson during the Jim Crow era by parents who worked at Davidson College. She experienced both segregated and integrated schooling, later emerging as a pivotal leader in the Davidson community throughout her adult years. She served in various roles at Davidson College: assistant chaplain, minority student counselor, task force member, and leader of the Love of Learning Program. She was also very involved in the local community, promoting racial equality.
The W.H. Bryant, A.E. Grier and Sons Funeral Home of Mooresville, NC served the Tapia family throughout the funeral process. Her funeral services were conducted on February 14, 2020 at the Davidson College Presbyterian Church in Davidson, NC, honoring her service as chaplain at the college. She had visitation, a funeral service, and then an interment service, all on Davidson College’s campus. She is buried in the Christian Aid Society Cemetery on Davidson’s campus, along with many other former Black employees. Friends and family paid for Brenda’s memorial, and it was installed in 2020. Her memorial is composed of a gray stone base, a heart shaped headstone, and an attached stone vase. It has ivy leaf detailing, an inscription of an angel, and is inscribed with the message “Beloved daughter sister and godmother.” The W.H. Bryant, A.E. Grier and Sons Funeral Home also offered an environmentally friendly option to memorialize Brenda, through the plating of Spathiphyllum.
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Reverend Brenda L. Howard Tapia's memorial, likely granite or marble, consists of a rectangular base, a heart shaped headstone, and an attached stone vase. The three dimensional heart shaped headstone features an outlined heart in a lighter shade of gray, which hosts all the inscriptions. It displays her name, along with her birth and death dates, and the inscription, “Beloved Daughter, Sister, and Godmother.” Additionally, a delicate spray of foliage, resembling ivy leaves, climbs up the lower right side of the heart. The backside of the grave features an inscription of an angel, raising its left arm and holding a sword in its right arm. The angel is slightly faded in the middle. The base of the grave measures 3.5 feet wide and 6 feet long. The heart shaped headstone measures 2 feet 5 inches wide and 2 feet at its tallest point. Additionally, there is a small silver sign from the W.H. Bryant Funeral Home depicting her name and birth and date. The memorial has no significant landscaping. However, there are multiple floral decorations, signifying that the grave is frequently adorned and visited by family.
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“Beloved Daughter, Sister, and Godmother”
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2020
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Family and Friends of Rev. Tapia
Position: 846 (88 views)