January 3, 2014 - December 23, 2015
Tara Faye Engman, daughter of Seth and Angela Engman, was born into the world cradled by tubes and ICU machines and lights on January 3, 2014. She fought her way into the light of full life, in turn bringing light to everyone around her and earning the nickname, Warrior Princess, by her parents. As she grew, she honed her skills as an artisan of the adorable: one bat of her eyelashes and slight cock of her head over her shoulder, and her wish was the command of aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. She loved her family, Mother Goose Club, grapes, and her favorite colors pink, orange, and purple. She would commandeer her daddy’s iPhone to watch the owl and star video and soon made her way into watching others on supersimplelearning.com all by herself with her little finger sliding videos up and up and up. She also enjoyed watching videos with piles of plastic eggs opening miniature toys. She loved people and animals and calling them out; baby, kitty, puppy and horsie. In such a short period of time she so completely entered our hearts that it seems impossible she should leave the world as she came into it, cradled again among tubes and machines, yet this time, resting on the cushions of our collective sorrow and surrounded by the loving staff of Hennepin County Medical Center Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, family and friends. Comfort was found in holding her hand, laying by her side, and witnessing life rebuilt again from our tears turned to joyous memories of her beautiful, sharing and caring way. Sweet Tara was taken from us much too soon on the 22nd of December 2015, but her light continues to shine and strengthen those who received her gifts and a second chance at life on Christmas Day, 2015 through LifeSource Organ and Tissue Donation.
She is survived by her parents, Seth and Angela (Ferguson) Engman; great grandparents, Fred and Faye Sprecker; grandparents, Jim and Carol Engman, Dave and Loretta (Hansen) Swartz, and Jim Ferguson; great-uncles and great-aunts, Jim and Margaret (Engman) Ricci, Kay-Cee and Michele (Engman) Lloyd, Bill and Jeanne (Hansen) Corfits, Robin (Ferguson) Orth, June Ferguson, Doug and Jean Ferguson; uncles and aunts, Christopher Engman, Caleb Engman, Joe and Lesli (Ferguson) Smith, Jason and Erin Swartz; cousins, Magnus and Axel Smith, Ryder and Boden Swartz, Aaron Ricci and Kirstin Connolly and son Lane Ricci, Elizabeth Ricci and son Drew Miller, Matt and Michelle Corfits and children Ethan, Victoria and Brooklyn, Ryan Corfits, Jason and Alaina (Corfits) Piper, Joe and Kim Ferguson and children Jodi and Tanya, Aaron and Missy Ferguson and children Kylie and Conner, Jack and LeaAnn (Ferguson) Underwood and son Cole, David and Jill Crandall and children Lochlan and Marsten, Joel and Stephanie Crandall and son Dakota; and close family friends Matt and Marjorie Branum, Pete and Jeanette (Wells) Boudjouk and children Olivia and Caleb.
She was preceded in death by her great-grandparents, Bill and Colleen Engman,
Olaf and Marjorie Hansen; great-uncles and great-aunt, Jim and Anne Marie (Hansen) Crandall, Ed Ferguson; and her uncle, James Engman, Jr.
A reception will follow the service and will be held at United Methodist Church of Peace, 6345 Xerxes Ave. S., Richfield, MN 55423.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Doctors Without Borders (donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/onetime.cfm?type=tribute) in Tara’s name. The family also wishes to acknowledge that some family members and friends may have already purchased gifts for Tara for Christmas or her birthday and asks that those gifts be donated to Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota (childrensmn.org/giving/giving-toys-and-gifts) in her name or be brought to the chapel and collected by the family to donate in her name.
Funeral Service
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
11:00 AM
Morris Nilsen Funeral Chapel
6527 Portland Ave. S.
Richfield, MN 55423
Visitation
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
10:00-11:00 AM
Morris Nilsen Funeral Chapel
6527 Portland Ave. S.
Richfield, MN 55423
My most heartfelt condolences Seth to you and your wife. It is a horrible thing for a parent to have to bury a child and I wish there were more I could do to help.
heartfelt thoughts and prayers for your family, so very sorry for the loss of your precious Tara
Oh Angie, words can not express the sadness I felt when I learned about the passing of yours and Seth’s precious little daughter, Tara. Vic and I hold you and your family tightly in our prayers.