Amy Ione Vangsnes Tuff
Amy Ione Vangsnes
Tuff, 92, of Sandy, OR
passed away peacefully
on August 10th sur-
rounded by her five chil-
dren.
Born November 19,
1927 on the family farm
near Rugby, ND, Amy gra-
duated from Rugby High
School in 1945 and en-
tered nurse’s training. She
married Harry Airth Tuff
of Barton, ND on June 3,
1951. After working as an
RN to put him through
seminary, she supported
him in his ministry as a
Lutheran pastor in his
first call to Glenfield, ND,
typing and mimeograph-
ing church bulletins for
the two congregations he
served. In their eleven
years of marriage, they
served congregations in
Rockford, IL and in Glyn-
don, MN, where Harry
was killed in a tragic car
accident October 11,
1962, leaving Amy with
five children ages 2 to 10.
She moved the family to
Fargo, ND where they
lived for five years. Due to
the challenges of North
Dakota winters as a single
mom, she courageously
packed up her household,
five kids, a cat and a dog
and moved to California
in 1967, settling in Salinas
where she lived for over
30 years. She also lived in
Carmel and Martinez, CA,
Vienna, Austria, Colorado
Springs, CO, Spokane,
WA and finally in Sandy,
OR.
Amy worshipped at
many Lutheran churches
throughout her life.
Church activities includ-
ed choir, Sunday School
teacher, committees, and
mission and youth work.
She also financially sup-
ported many Christian
mission organizations and
several missionaries. She
was passionate about the
arts, especially music and
any in which her children
participated. Amy loved
playing games such as
Scrabble and Rummikub
with family and friends.
For the last decade of her
life, her family referred to
her as the “Yahtzee
Queen” because she fre-
quently got multiple
Yahtzees in a single game.
During Amy’s 43-year
nursing career, she
worked mainly in labor
and delivery, ending her
career in the neonatal in-
tensive care nursery at
Community Hospital of
the Monterey Peninsula.
She traveled to Europe
numerous times, and after
retirement lived for a time
in Vienna, Austria with
son, Peter, and family. Re-
tirement also gave her the
opportunity to accompany
her church’s youth group,
for nearly a decade, on an-
nual mission trips to Mex-
ico where she slept in a
tent and served as the
camp nurse.
Amy loved life, she
loved to sing in her beau-
tiful soprano voice, she
loved to laugh, she loved
to camp. She enjoyed
everything to do with food
(it was a constant topic of
conversation), and she
was known as a warm and
welcoming hostess to fam-
ily, friends, and strangers
alike. Above all, she loved
her Lord and her family.
In 2003, Amy suffered
an injury that caused near
total blindness. This was
a catastrophic blow for a
woman focused on serv-
ing others for so many de-
cades, and the adjustment
to becoming dependent
on others was very diffi-
cult. However, her faith
and inner strength helped
her to adapt, and she
maintained an amazingly
joyous and thankful atti-
tude along with a positive,
hopeful outlook until the
end.
Amy is survived by her
children: Joy (David)
Liezen, Paul Tuff, Ruth
Tuff (David Carson, de-
ceased), Naomi (Randy)
Wilson, Peter (LeAnna)
Tuff, as well as grandchil-
dren, great-grandchildren,
two sisters-in-law, nieces,
nephews, and many
beloved friends. Amy, an
extraordinary woman who
lived a life of service to
others, was deeply loved
and admired.
Plans for celebrations
of her life are pending
and details will be an-
nounced at a later date.
Her remains will eventu-
ally be buried next to her
late husband, Harry, in
Rugby, ND. Memorial
contributions can be
made to World Mission
Prayer League or the char-
ity of your choice. To
leave an online con-
dolence to Amy’s family,
and to check for updated
service information,
please visit our website at