Eula Tigner

Eula J. Tigner

Eula was born on the South Dakota prairie on September 15, 1931. She lived on a farm 20 miles east of Britton with her two older brothers Herluf and Vernon and her parents Tom and Bertha Schultz. She was an independent spirit from the very beginning. She rode her horse Snowball to grade school and boarded in town for her high school years. She attended Northern Normal Teachers College in Aberdeen, SD. Where she met the love of her life, Norman Tigner.

In many ways, you cannot tell the story of Eula without Norm, because a greater love story was never told. They married on October 18, 1952 and immediately moved to Anniston, AL where Norm was an officer in the Army. One of their favorite things to do was to go to the local jazz clubs to see the incredible Black artists that toured there. Their neighbors tended to give them the cold shoulder, but Eula and Norm always did the right thing and believed in the right people.

They moved to Lemmon, SD and then Watertown, SD for teaching positions and Norm’s basketball coaching. Eula excelled as a kindergarten teacher as her love of children was even greater than her love of animals. Norm & Eula had three biological children and one adopted son, Susan (Kurt), David (Patty), Douglas (Diane) and Stephen (Jill). After various moves in SD they landed in Paynesville, MN.

Eula returned to college at the age of 50 to complete her bachelor's degree in education. Education was always the utmost priority for Norm and Eula. She put her education to work as a daycare mom for many children and developed life long relationships, even some of her former daycare kids came to her 90th Birthday Party!

When retirement time came, they hit the road in an RV seeing much of the country but finally grandchildren started to arrive so they stayed closer to home to be incredible grandparents. Eventually eight grandchildren blessed their family within seven years - Spencer (Maddy), Samantha, Allison (Paul), Elle, Caitlyn, Isaac, Ryan and Austin. They were the joy of Grandma and Grandpa’s lives.

Norm passed in December 2018 and Eula set out on a new adventure and decided to move to her old corner in NE Minneapolis. She loved watching the action of the city. She kept current on the news and politics of the day. She loved her Twins and Timberwolves. and her apartment and friends at Wyndris.

Eula was a loving grandma, mother, sister and daughter. She always befriended the people or animals that needed help. Her past and current kitties, Scooter, Rubio, and Charlie were a treasure in her life. Eula has always been a woman ahead of her time. Her independent spirit helped her see the world as it could be, not just as it was. She was a rule breaker, questioned authority, and always found new and different ways to do things. But most importantly, she believed in the radical idea of limitless love for her beloved family, friends, and all of the children of the Earth.

Memorial service Saturday, October 1, 2022, 11:00 A.M. at ST. ANDREW’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi, with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the Animal Humane Society.