Tanja Rounds

"Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all."

- Emily Dickinson

Tanja Tuulikki Rounds, 37, peacefully passed away on Friday, January 10th, 2025 at her home in Lawrence, Kansas. As she passed, she felt the loving presence of her family as well as Jesus Christ. Tanja was born on October 6th, 1987 to parents Timo and Heidi Manninen in Lappeenranta, Finland.

Kindness, devotion, resolve, and grace defined Tanja's soul. Over her life she lived in five countries - Finland, Norway, Brazil, the United States, as well as the United Kingdom - but she first sojourned to the United States to take part in what she often described as a life changing academic seminar, which was given by the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University in Virginia. Her husband, Adam, proposed marriage to her at the Giusti Garden in Verona, Italy on Mother's Day - and Tanja met Adam's Mother for the first time later that same day in Venice, Italy. Thereafter, she and Adam exchanged marriage vows - and rings - at Wilmington Beach in North Carolina.

Following her recovery from her first brain surgery, Tanja attended and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the College of William & Mary with a double major Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy & Religious Studies - with Departmental Honors in Philosophy. Her Honors Thesis entitled, "On Certain Antinomies of Freedom: Divine Foreknowledge and Immutability", has been made available for Open Access - and is free to download from William & Mary. After William & Mary, Tanja was enrolled in a Ph.D. program for Philosophy, and worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Kansas. In spite of her brain cancer recurring in her first semester of the program, she returned to her studies - following a second brain surgery - without skipping a semester, and even outperformed her peers.

Tanja enjoyed Yoga - she was a certified Yoga instructor - nature walks, building aquascapes, sampling novel coffee shops, fishkeeping, running, playing chess, the Sims, Theme Hospital, as well as going to the beach and swimming in the ocean at Grandview Nature Preserve in Hampton Roads Virginia. She loved to travel, trips to Shenandoah National Park, the television show 'The Chosen', the original Lion King animated movie, 4th of July festivities in Colonial Williamsburg, music by Lauren Daigle, Italian ice, grilled salmon, and Sour Patch Kids. Finally, Tanja was a devoted Christian who found Christ in her twenties, and cherished the study of Christian theology as well as the Gospels.

She is survived by her husband, Adam Rounds, as well as her parents Timo and Heidi Manninen. Our family would like to express heartfelt gratitude for the assistance of the First Presbyterian Church of Lawrence, Kansas under the leadership of Pastor Helen Hutchison. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tanja's name to either our church, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.