Carla Tuinstra Richter

Carla is remembered as a bright and vibrant wildflower planted by Barb and Ted Tuinstra, who sprouted in Dallas with her siblings, Taryn, Scott, and Chris.  She studied Interior Design and Education at the University of Texas and Mary-Hardin Baylor before growing roots in Thorndale and raising her two cherished daughters, Gretchen and Maia.

She was a devoted, loving, caring mother, who with an infant seedling of her own in arms said, “this is the best thing in the world!”  She celebrated special occasions with unique, elaborate, and themed birthday cakes of her own design.  Through her creativity, fun, and charm, she could transform old socks into puppet shows, running through sprinklers into dancing fairies, and grey and yellow sweat suits into mouse and cheese Halloween costumes.  She celebrated “Big Girl Day” by taking her daughters on one-on-one adventures.  Accomplishments, good grades, and life events were celebrated by hugging her girls and swinging them around in enthusiastic twirls.  She loved having a tight-knit community and a small-town haven to raise her daughters, while also exposing them to a larger world through travel and culture.  She was confident that her children had the innate ability and skills to succeed and she was very proud of raising empowered, strong daughters.  Maia and Gretchen were called her “greatest joys.”  She enjoyed watching her garden and girls grow up, sending each daughter off to college with a potted plant and a load of confidence.

She dedicated 20 years of service to Taylor ISD as an art maestro, social studies cultural tour guide, and as an integral leader and principal.  She felt called to expand her students’ horizons and exposure to the world.  Her philosophy in teaching was to keep her students focused because she felt their progress depended on her own personal excitement, enthusiasm, and investment.  To do this, she would take a topic and make it real, make it huge, as big as the life-size 100-foot blue whale she created from paper down the hall.  One of her many masterpieces was a tile mosaic on display at Taylor’s T. H. Johnson Elementary School.

Carla enjoyed travelling with her daughters, skiing slopes in Colorado, ordering wine in Tuscany, cruising the Bahamas, adventuring in Costa Rica, and skipping along the Netherlands’ canals.  For every trip, she made booklets with specific itineraries, fun facts, history, and culture notes to share her anticipation and passion.  She had a talent for looking at a blank canvas and seeing the finished project.  Her vision manifested itself helping friends convert houses into homes through her transformative interior designs and creating beautiful wedding receptions on a dime.

She demonstrated her faith in God through her actions and was a force for God’s Spirit in the world.  She embodied the virtue of Christian charity within her community, sharing her time and talents.  Among her contributions, she lent her teaching and art skills to the congregation through volunteering.

Her drive, bright spirit, and independent nature were a constant source of strength to all.  This manifested itself through her persistence and resilience during her 16-year fight with breast cancer.  Throughout her battle, it was always mind over matter and she chose to focus on living her life to the fullest.  She made every day extraordinary through her creativity and her ability to see the humor in any circumstance.

She touched many lives and her beautiful spirit will be remembered among the wildflowers.

By Carla’s request, donations in her memory may be made to improve the dog training facilities at Training By Tara, which she loved.

Please visit https://www.youcaring.com/carlarichter .