Carla Kay Maes

Carla Kay Maes passed peacefully on Sunday, November 2, 2025, in Caliente, Nevada, surrounded by family. 

Carla was born to Margaret  Ann and Carl James Pulley, who operated the Blue Front Mercantile on Caliente’s main street. In her senior year of high school, she moved to Ely, Nevada, where she met the love of her life, Ralph Maes, while he was home on leave from the Army. They married on June 1, 1963, and together raised four beautiful children. 

Carla devoted her younger years to raising her family, later going to work at Bath Lumber as her children entered school. In 1990, she and Ralph moved to Fallon, Nevada, to work at the Rawhide mine, where Carla primarily handled accounting and enjoyed “looking after the numbers.” After ten fulfilling years in Fallon, they retired from Rawhide and returned to Ely, embracing a joyful retirement filled with grandchildren and family. 

Carla cherished rides with Ralph and loved ones, marveling at nature’s beauty. She greeted everyone with a warm smile and a listening ear, giving selflessly. Curious and eager to learn, she welcomed hard conversations and strong debates. She never shied from difficult tasks, often advising, “Do the task you least want to do first—that way it’s over.” An attentive and loving wife, mother, and grandmother, Carla was happiest at home with her family. 

Carla is reunited in peace with her husband Ralph; her parents, Margaret and Carl; her sisters Bonnie and Sally; her brothers Patrick and Carl James Jr.; her son Ralph Joseph Maes Jr.; and her daughter Teresa Marie Bradley. She is survived by her sister Janet; her children Stacey Lynn Perkins (Boyd) and Amy Jo McElvain (Rudy); nine grandchildren; and fifteen great-grandchildren. She will be greatly missed.  

Services will be held in Ely, Nevada, in the spring.