Pedestrian killed in crash on sidewalk was longtime Santa Rosa resident

At the northwest Santa Rosa home where Ruth Tapian helped raise six children and where she lived alone before she died, “No Trespassing” signs hang in windows and the blinds are drawn.

Electricity to the Barnes Road house was cut off years ago after Tapian conveyed fears people were spying on her through the power lines. She often took personal papers and jewelry with her in a shopping cart she wheeled around the city to safeguard the valuable items from theft, according to a family attorney.

The 73-year-old woman clearly took pains to protect herself from a world she suspected could harm her. Tragedy found her anyway.

Standing on the corner of Third and B streets on a sunlit afternoon last week in downtown Santa Rosa, Tapian was crushed by an SUV that collided with another vehicle in the intersection and rolled on top of her, killing her on impact. She’d been on her way to the bank. Her cart with her belongings was not damaged.

There was speculation in the days following the crash that the woman who died was homeless, given her description and the apparent challenges sheriff’s officials had finding relatives to inform them of her demise. But as the investigation into the crash continues, information provided this week by Tapian’s family and interviews with her neighbors provide a fuller understanding of her life and the circumstances surrounding her untimely death.

Tapian was described as a troubled woman who could be aggressively rude with adults, while also exceedingly kind to children and animals. Neighbors who lived near her for years said they did not really know her, other than as the strange woman who often rebuffed their greetings as she walked past their homes with her cart. Nevertheless, about 25 people gathered Sunday night in the cul-de-sac near Tapian’s gate, blown over during December storms, to honor her life with candlelight and song.

“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect,” said Lauren Kushins, who organized the gathering. “She went out rough, and she had it rough here.”

Tapian’s family declined interviews this week but authorized Rohnert Park attorney Valerie McGuire to speak on their behalf.

McGuire said Tapian, who was born on Feb. 7, 1941, moved to Santa Rosa when she was 16, and that as an adult she worked in an administrative role for the Lake Sonoma Warm Springs Dam project and also for a technology company.

She married Pete Tapian Jr., who was known as Jim. Pete Tapian Sr., Jim’s father, was a well-known horticulturist who planted a redwood tree in Cotati that officials threatened to cut down last year to make way for the SMART train. The tree was spared.

In 1973, Ruth and Jim moved into the Barnes Road house, which is situated on a half-acre and back then was surrounded by orchards. The couple were both divorced, and each brought three kids to the marriage.

Christie Larson, Ruth’s granddaughter, recalled many happy times at the home, stating in an email forwarded by McGuire that Ruth made breakfast for the kids using eggs collected from the family’s chickens. Larson described water fights, practical jokes, music and singing.

“For Christmas and birthdays, she would always have big bags of fun things for us to open,” Larson wrote.

She stated that prior to her grandmother getting “sick,” she would take the kids fishing at Howarth Park and to ride the carousel and train.

Debra Tapian, Jim’s daughter, credited Ruth with instilling a love for the outdoors in her.

“She taught me how to get my hands dirty and to take care of myself,” Debra Tapian said via telephone from her home in Colorado.

She said the pair nursed many hurt animals back to health.

“When she was good, she was great,” Debra Tapian said. “It was just, those periods became more seldom as her marriage fell apart with my dad. Then it got awful.”

The couple divorced in the early 1990s, and Jim died in 2003.

All along, Ruth refused to sell the Barnes Road property to a developer. The land around her was developed anyway, and today, is a subdivision of large homes.

“She wasn’t happy about it,” McGuire said. “She was hoping she could have her space out there, and that it would stay that way.”

The property stands in stark contrast to the homes and yards that surround it on three sides. Two pickups and a Buick Regal were parked in the driveway this week, the tires flattened. A rusted motorboat was in the backyard, along with other discarded items.

The interior of the home is immaculate, however, according McGuire, who described it as a typical “grandmother’s house.” She said Tapian was not estranged from her family, and that her oldest son, who lives in Petaluma, visited often to help her with yard maintenance. Tapian also had a son in Kelseyville and a daughter who lives in Ukiah.

Ruth was resourceful in her own right. When her gate blew over in December, she filled the space with twine and caution flags from a home improvement store. Since she did not have a current driver’s license or an operable vehicle, Tapian collected what she needed to survive using her shopping cart and public transit.

Leonard Holt, who lived next door to Tapian, said he wanted to loan her a saw for chopping down a willow tree that fell in her backyard. Instead, she spent weeks carving it up with a dull ax.

“When you talked about anything involving her yard, she would say that’s her business and get upset,” Holt said.

He said he took several of the feral cats that Tapian fed to get spayed or neutered without telling her he was doing so. But mainly, he and other neighbors left her alone, since that’s apparently what she desired.

“We learned to turn away when she walked by. I think that made her feel more safe,” said neighbor Diane Larson, who is no relation to the family.

McGuire said Tapian was on her way to Wells Fargo Bank on B Street on Jan. 20 when she was struck and killed. It appeared she was simply waiting for the light to turn so she could cross the street.

Daniel Borbely, 72, was heading east on Third Street when his Ford Explorer was struck by a Volvo wagon that was coming from the opposite direction and making a left turn from Third onto B Street, police said.

Borbely told The Press Democrat he had the green light when he entered the intersection. Police have not confirmed his account.

David Nelson, the 94-year-old driver of the Volvo, declined an interview this week, saying through the intercom of the gated Village at Wild Oak neighborhood near Oakmont that he had appointments to go to and “really, I’m a very busy man.”

Santa Rosa police are still trying to determine fault in the crash, which likely comes down to which of the drivers ran a red light.

Since there are no indications at this stage that either motorist was impaired or driving recklessly, the case is unlikely to be referred to the district attorney for criminal charges, Sgt. Brad Conners said Wednesday.

“We could issue a citation for running a red light,” he said.

A make shift memorial of balloons, flowers and candles has been erected at the corner where Tapian was killed. A sympathy card taped to the light pole conveys handwritten condolences to the family and friends of “the woman who so suddenly passed away.”

“We never met her, but we are very sad and upset,” the card reads. “We will never forget her and that day.”

McGuire said she plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit on the family’s behalf, stating that “regardless of her (Tapian’s) eccentricities, she wasn’t at fault,” and that the family has been “devastated by her death.”

“Her health was quite good. They (the family) expected she was going to live a long time,” McGuire said.

She said the family likely will attempt to sell the Barnes Road house where Tapian lived for most of her adult life, as a will has yet to be located. A private memorial service for Tapian is planned for Saturday at the home.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.