Obituary of Tyla DeVonna Runkel

On April 17, 2020, Tyla DeVonna Runkel (Knapp) received her wings and joined her family and friends in Heaven.  Born on January 18, 1947 in Duluth, Minnesota, Tyla was the only child to Tyler and Stella Knapp, with whom she has now been reunited.  Also happy to see her again were her beloved cats, Bailey Hawthorne III and Leonardo DiCatrio.   

She was a loving and very proud mother to BrieAnna Gallup, Nicole Olson (Brian), and Adam Ward (Kelli).  She cherished her six grandchildren, Tana-JoElle, London, James, Liv, Tylar-Rai, and Raeanna.  Tyla’s grandchildren were her heart and joy and she adoringly talked about them any opportunity she got. 

Tyla was a one-of-a-kind, charismatic, spirit-filled woman and anyone who knew her could see how much she loved the Lord.  Her talents, or gifts as she called them, were immeasurable.  She effortlessly played and wrote music for the piano and guitar.  She has owned numerous acoustic guitars, including a 12-string, and once had an upright grand piano in her apartment living room.  Her talent for art was just as incredible.  She has created countless drawings, sketches, and paintings of people, animals, flowers, and landscapes.  She taught herself calligraphy and then formally gave private calligraphy lessons to others.  If you have ever received a card, piece of mail, or anything hand-written from Tyla, it was a creative work of art. 

To honor Tyla’s life, simply take the time to see and hear God and the good all around you, as she did; especially in the little things that make you smile.  For Tyla, some of those things were cats, electric blue eye shadow, babies, thunderstorms, lions and tigers, butterflies, music, Dove chocolate, laughter, hugs, e-z cheese, dogs, reading a good book, brightly-colored flowers,  clipper ships, a nighttime city landscape, fuchsia-colored nail polish, waterfalls, and blue Gatorade.   She will be terribly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Due to COVID-19, a celebration of her life will be planned for a later date when family and friends can gather together.