Marisol Tapia Ibanez

1952 - 2022

High School/College language teacher and student advocate Marisol Tapia passed away quietly at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center Gresham, Oregon from complications of intestinal surgery.
  Marisol Tapia (Maria Soledad Tapia) was born August 26,1952 in Zaragoza Spain to Maria Soledad Ibañez Tapia and Ernesto Miguel Tapia. 'Maria' was such a common name during the 50s that Marisol adopted the popular convention of combining her first and second names.
  Growing up, Marisol often proved a frustration to her parents and teachers. It was her nature to challenge the status quo. Why were things the way they were? Were there inconsistencies that needed more explanation and education? She was unwilling to accept the things she was told without asking why, a quality she brought to the classroom. As she herself had done, Marisol challenged her students and friends to be open and willing to often ask difficult questions.
  Marisol attended private Catholic school during the dictatorship of Franco, experiences that helped inform her strong beliefs and opinions. She was able to attend the school because of a scholarship available to high achieving students who did not have financial resources. In college Marisol joined groups to help the poor in villages of Spain during the oppressive Franco regime. It was during this time she began her teaching career.
  Marisol met her first husband David Rudolf at the University of Zaragoza. David, an American from New Jersey, was attending medical school in Spain. Marisol herself graduated with the equivalent of a Masters in Romance Languages with fluency in Spanish, French, and English. After graduation she moved to New Jersey, where she lived and worked for two years. In 1983 Marisol and David moved to Alaska. After parting ways with her first husband, Marisol met the love of her life, Paul Packard. They married August 1, 1987. Marisol worked as a preschool teacher and as an adjunct professor at Kenai Peninsula College. Later in 1989 she took a position at Soldotna High School, teaching English and Spanish. She continued teaching at the college. Her Spanish classes were so popular she was asked to teach Spanish full time. Marisol became a naturalized United States citizen in May, 2007.
  Marisol had a natural ability to connect with her students, to challenge their abilities, and to encourage them to grow.  She organized performances with her students to celebrate such subjects as Amnesty International, Latin and Tango Dancing, and Gay Rights.  Marisol sponsored several trips abroad with her students to Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, and Morocco.
  Marisol was diagnosed with breast cancer her last year of teaching.  She went through therapy and remained cancer free until her passing.
  Retiring in 2010, Marisol and Paul moved to Portland, where they continued to embrace her passion for travel, which included frequent trips to Spain. Throughout their thirty-seven years together, their travels had taken them to China, Turkey, Jamaica, Cuba, Bulgaria, Austria, and 30 other countries of the world.
  After the move to Portland, Paul continued to work on the North Slope. Marisol took on a new career as a Medical Interpreter, where she provided interpretation for Spanish speaking patients for clinics and hospitals throughout the Portland metropolitan area. Once again, her skills with people extended not only to translating, but as a patient advocate as well. She touched many lives at a personal level.
   Marisol will be missed.
All donations should be made to the Marisol Tapia Cultural Scholarship fund, please go to the GoFundMe link below.
https://gofund.me/c5969b05