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Carla Ann Hepp
11-11-2024

Carla Hepp passed away at Ava’s House on November 11th, 2024 from Melanoma Skin Cancer. She was only 61 years old. Carla was born as the first of twin girls to Jacob and Mavis Hawkins on November 20th, 1962 in Sioux Falls, SD. 20 minutes later came Christine, her twin.

Carla was in 6th grade when she started her love of writing. She excelled at short stories and poems and this love continued throughout her lifetime.
Carla met the love of her life Henry (Rick) working at a Lawn Company at just 16 years old. They tied the knot in November of 1979. After marriage they went on to have three children, Joshua, Chantelle, and Demetrius.

In 1996, Carla graduated from college Summa Cum Laude with a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice. From that point, Carla went on to work many security jobs that she loved. She was a Neighborhood Watch Block Captain. Her favorite job was working an internship for a state senator. Carla had a bad work injury that made employment after that very difficult. In 2006, she was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma skin cancer. She fought a hard battle with it and beat it. After that battle, she decided to start exploring her interests more. Her most favorite activity, was going to the Great Plains Zoo. She was an avid animal lover and that showed in her photos. She became a volunteer photographer at the zoo for many years. She had her photos occasionally published in larger papers in other states. Carla had a certain bond with the animals that was very unique. She knew every single animals name and they always seemed to know when she was there. After her second cancer diagnosis, she continued to walk at the zoo. Her doctors encouraged it. The animal she visited the most, by far, was the eagle Matilda. She said the eagle gave her her strength and inspiration on days she was feeling down.

In the last several years, Carla became an advocate for people who couldn’t advocate for themselves. She was fighting to get hospitals to have adult diapers readily available for patients of Crohns, IBS, and cancer who have to get scans or go in for treatments. She was fighting to get Ally’s Law passed in SD. She was fighting with Medicare to get them to fully cover adult incontinence products. She was also an advocate for Skin Cancer awareness and appeared on the local news one night to share her story briefly.
Carla was not shy about her faith. She loves God and was not afraid to share her love and faith with anyone who might have needed it. Despite her own illness, she wanted to help people more than anything. She wore many “hats” in her life. Wife, mother, photographer, writer, teacher, advocate, civil-servant and a proud member of Emmanuel Baptist Church. These are just a few things that made her so special.

Carla loved her bright colors and animal print. She wanted her funeral to be a Celebration of Life. We ask that you incorporate something colorful into your wardrobe if you are able.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to the Melanoma Research Alliance, the Melanoma Research Foundation, or the American Cancer Society in her name.
There will be a private family visitation Thursday with her Celebration of Life to follow on Friday, November 15th at 2PM. It will be held at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Sioux Falls. Dinner will follow. This Friday also marks her and Ricks 45th wedding anniversary.

She is preceded in death by her brother-in-law: Gabriel Keaton; her brother: John; her uncle: Daniel; her grandparents: Carl and Virginie Hawkins, Sabina Voortman; uncles and aunts: Ken Hawkins, Edith and Harold Brenden; parents-in-law: Irwin and Francis Hepp; brothers-in-law: Donald Farnsworth, Don Gayken, and Bob Hepp; sister-in-law: Sharon Niemeyer. She is survived by her parents Jacob and Mavis in Sioux Falls; her husband: Rick (Henry); her children: Joshua (Stephanie) in Alton, IA, Chantelle (Mitchell) in Sioux Falls and Demetrius; her siblings: Christine in NC, Mark(Alex) in Sioux Falls, Pete (Tammy) In Larchwood, IA, Katerina (Dean) in Sioux Falls; her sisters-in-law: Jackie (Terry) in Sioux Falls, Glenna (Dan) in Canton, SD and Fran in Jackson, MN and Diane; her aunt: Margie, her four grandchildren: Marcus, Carter, Kinley and Beckett; her niece: Rebecca; great-niece: Aryanna; her nephews: Seth (Robby), Jacob, Davis, and many more extended nieces, nephews, and cousins.