Carla J. Phelps

Carla J. Phelps, 74, of Iowa City (formerly of Tipton), died on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at Fry Funeral Home in Tipton, followed by a graveside committal at Rochester Cemetery and concluding with a luncheon at the VFW Tipton to share memories of Carla. Online condolences may be shared at www.fryfuneralhome.com. Memorial contributions may be given to the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center.  

Carla was born May 22, 1951, in Cedar County, Iowa, to John and Willa Catherine (Howe) Phelps. She graduated from Tipton High School, earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Iowa, and later received her Master’s Degree from the University of Technology Sydney, continuing a lifelong love of learning that shaped everything she did. On May 21, 1983, she married Michael McGrath and in 1986, gave birth to their daughter, Ceilidh.

Carla quietly dedicated much of her life to helping people find steadier ground. She worked as a psychotherapist in Sydney, Australia, and later returned to Iowa where she poured her heart into social work, including her time with Successful Living in Iowa City, supporting adults living with chronic mental illness through compassionate, one-on-one guidance and practical care.

A gifted grant writer with sharp instincts and a rare kind of common sense, Carla made herself invaluable wherever she went — not by seeking attention, but by doing the work that truly mattered.

Fiercely protective and deeply principled, Carla rooted for the underdog and stood up for those who couldn’t advocate for themselves — people and animals alike. She adored animals (especially her beloved cat, Toby), and she showed that love through action as a volunteer with the Humane Society, always making room in her life for four-legged friends who needed tenderness and safety.

Carla also lived with a bold spirit of reinvention. Born in a small Iowa town, Tipton, she went on to live a life that was expansive, curious, and wonderfully adventurous: working in Saudi Arabia as an invaluable early computer programming and accounting wiz (where she would meet her future husband), living in California, and Sydney; skiing in the Swiss Alps, hiking New Zealand, and snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, her favorite place on Earth. Her life had many chapters — new places, new passions, new communities — and she met each one with intelligence, humor, and an open heart.

She was as intellectually alive as she was adventurous: a lover of books, literature, writing, nature, art, design, and big conversations — about politics, faith, and the deeper meaning of things. At her core, Carla was adamant about kindness. She believed in it. She practiced it. She expected it.