Tamara L Nightingale

Tamara (Ritterskamp) Nightingale was predeceased by her parents, Chester & Betty Jo Ritterskamp, and the left ring finger tip of her brother Mike Ritterskamp, lost in a tragic accident right before Thanksgiving 2019.

She is survived by her beloved children, Garrett (Francesca) Maller, Abby (Will) Orellana, the rest of her brother Mike (Helen) Ritterskamp, her sister Ann (Donnie Ray) Hummel, the sister of her heart, Carleen Wood, and the love of her life, her granddaughter, Stacie. She also had many nieces, nephews, and so many more whom she loved dearly and kept close to her heart.

She came into this world in 1957 (with a tight grip on a red correction pen) just in time to be everyone's Christmas present.  She would have appeared earlier, but she was following the beloved family tradition of being very overdue. It was the only rebellious act she ever did in life. Keeping with this tradition, her first child, Garrett, was dragged out kicking and screaming in 1984, about 18 days overdue, and he still isn't happy about how he arrived. Paving the way, she had her daughter, Abby, in 1986, who came into this world happy and excited to experience everything this world had to offer.

The most important arrival, however, occurred in 2014. Abby gave birth to the love of Tamara's life, Stacie. In true Stacie fashion, she came into this world full of drama and sass,  and had Tamara, affectionately known as 'Titi', wrapped around her little finger from the moment she was born. It was love at first sight. The sun rises and sets with Stacie, and Tamara would not have it any other way.

While Tamara wore many hats in life, secretary, massage therapist, truck driver, her most proud achievement was being a mom. She always made sure she was front and center in her children's activities, staying up all hours of the night to learn sign language, organizing and participating in Boy Scout trips, and being the band mom to everyone.

She passed her love for football to Garrett, starting at a very young age, an activity they enjoyed throughout their entire lives. She loved playing cards, an activity she did daily right up until the end.

Her most treasured activities were her many Great Adventure weekends with Stacie and Stacie’s bonus grandma, Carleen aka Cocoa. Tamara loved curling up with Stacie on the couch and reading a book. Tamara fostered a love for reading in both her kids and Stacie.

She welcomed everyone into her home, her heart, and her generosity knew no bounds. She would not hesitate to help anyone in need when she could: jumping in her car to drive 11 hours to help you get out of a bad situation, providing a care package during a hard time, or opening her home to provide a safe place to stay. Her generosity continues even after her passing, starting a fundraiser for a dear friend. In place of flowers, her final wish was to help someone very special to our family get a vehicle. The link is below to read Michelle's story and Tamara's final wish.

Everyone will miss her greatly. She will continue to live in our hearts, remembered in every card game, carried with us on all our adventures, and sitting beside us while we read a book.
https://gofund.me/538b82270