Carla D. Fountaine, 43, of Galloway, Ohio, passed away on July 26, 2024, at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The precious daughter of Lavonda (Clark) Fountaine and Robert Fountaine, Carla was born on July 6, 1981. She was preceded in death by her sister, Shelva Perkins, and her loving grandparents, Roger and Carla Clark and Beatrice Fountain. In addition to her mother (Lavonda) and father (Robert), Carla is survived by her dear brother Robert (Dea) Fountaine and their beautiful daughter and Carla's adored, beloved niece, Dreya Imani Fountaine.

Carla was a voracious reader, starting early when she took it upon herself as a 6-year-old to call the local library to arrange for her mother to pick up 10 select books she identified for the librarian. Carla was a foodie, spending time with family and friends at Columbus eateries. She also could have had a second career as a film critic with her ability to aptly identify the nuances of a film while also reciting any line on which you challenged her. More than anything, Carla was always present for her family and friends, knowing the little details about what might make your day a little better.

Carla graduated from Westland High School, The Ohio State University (Bachelor's) and Central Michigan University (Master's). Shortly after her graduation from OSU, Carla began her 20-year career in community relations at Nationwide Children's Hospital, ultimately serving as its director of community relations. Carla was the self-described "boots on the ground" for Nationwide Children's and its connections to and partnerships in the community. She was instrumental in facilitating the hospital's Good Neighborhood Agreement, building relationships with numerous civic associations, area commissions and community leaders (especially in the South Side and Linden) and recently took a leadership role in the hospital's expansion of its Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative in the Linden community. Carla was a tireless advocate for community building and did so with unmatched authenticity, rigor and love. Carla served in a variety of roles on community boards. Most recently, Carla held board roles for All People Arts, the Classic for Columbus, Parsons Avenue Merchants Association, Parsons Avenue Redevelopment Corporation, Rickenbacker Woods Foundation and South End Café. She also served in unofficial roles for several community partnerships and initiatives, such as the Linden Advisory Council, Linden Leadership Academy and the One Linden Plan.

Carla leaves behind a host of family and friends. Specifically, Carla was the niece of Marc (Leatrece) Clark, Brenda (Larry) Ragland, Dorothy Fountaine and Janie Fountaine. Carla's special cousins include Latasha Clark, Marc (Ebony) Clark, Jr. and Tahjaie Clark and Carla's special uncle, Wayne Hall. The family would like to give special thanks to Carla's life saving kidney donors, Jamie Willis and Isaiah ("Ya Ya"), Dr. Monique Boezi, Dr. Samir Parikh, Dr. Uday Nori, Lifeline of Ohio, NxStage of Dublin and Team OSU 9th Floor at the James. Funeral services for Carla will be held on Wednesday, August 7th at Living Faith Apostolic Church, located at 2177 Mock Road, Columbus, Ohio, 43219.

Visitation will be from 12:00-1:00 p.m. and the service will begin at 1:00 p.m. The interment will take place on Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Ferncliff Cemetery, located at 501 West McCreight Avenue, Springfield, Ohio, 45504. Flowers for the family can be sent to Living Faith Apostolic Church. Arrangements provided by the Robert C. Henry Funeral Home, 527 Robert C. Henry Way Springfield, Ohio 45506

The procession to the cemetery will form at 10:30 a.m. at the Robert C. Henry Funeral Home.