Incha (Pang) Mapes

It is with an abyss in my soul that can never be filled that I announce that my beautiful bride of almost 36 years, Incha Mapes, went to be with the Lord in the early morning of June 17, 2022 at the age of 70.  She passed peacefully after ultimately losing a year-long heroic battle against the Big “C.”

Incha was born in a suburb of Seoul, Korea on December 3^rd, 1951 at the height of the Korean War.  Her early years were spent in much hardship due to the destruction in South Korea caused by the war.  She was convinced that a lack of milk as a baby is why she was so short in stature.  She emigrated to the States in 1971 and became a working mother of two young boys and a naturalized US citizen.  In 1985 a mutual friend introduced us in San Angelo, Texas, and we were married there just over a year later.

Incha had an outgoing, friendly personality and made friends easily, unlike her grouchy husband, thus proving the maxim that opposites due indeed attract.  She was a dedicated Army wife, and was proud to also have her own good job.  Until she was asked to join me in Korea.  She gave up her job and joined me, never missing an opportunity to remind everyone that she had a very good job before giving it up to become a “Domestic Engineer” -- one of her favorite phrases.  During the next 25 straight years in Korea she made many friends who will be heartbroken at the news of her passing.

After moving to Sierra Vista in 2016 she became a devout Catholic and member of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church.  Even during her latter days when she was too weak to even get out of bed, she was sure to watch Sunday Mass on Youtube.

Incha had a green thumb, and turned every house we lived in into a rain forest.  She was also a fantastic cook of both Korean and American cuisine.  She loved to experiment and spent much time in the kitchen with Youtube cooking videos playing on her phone while she tried out new recipes.  Her other hobbies included knitting, crocheting, and giving the dogs a bath and trimming their hair.  Even when the dogs were going to the grooming salon to get a bath and trim she would insist on at least washing their face and brushing their hair before she would let them go to the salon, all the while her irritated husband stood there with his arms crossed and staring at his watch because he doesn’t want to be late for the salon appointment.

Incha was preceded in death by her beloved tiny toy poodle, Vader, whose passing left a huge hole in her heart.  I am sure the reunion of those two at the Rainbow Bridge was a tremendously joyous occasion.  She is survived by her aforementioned grouchy husband, her eldest son, Robert Bugary of Bremerton, Washington, the seven grandchildren he blessed her with, and her youngest son, her baby, Russell Bugary of Pierpont, Ohio.

Visiting hours for Incha will be held Wednesday, June 22, 2022 from 4-6 PM at Hatfield Funeral Home, 830 South HWY 92, Sierra Vista, AZ.  Family and friends are asked to meet at 10:00 AM on Thursday, June 23, 2022 at St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church for the Recitation of the Rosary, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 AM.  A short Commitment Ceremony at 12:00 PM will precede her internment at Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made in her name to St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church or the American Cancer Society.

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