Tira Courtney Ingram

Tira Courtney Ingram arrived on Earth August 12, 1974 to the union of Jackie Ingram and Ruth (Ivy) Ingram in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. God loaned this unique individual to us for near 50 years. She peacefully returned to him on July 5, 2024 after a brave, tiring battle with cancer and a brain hemorrhage. The rain and lightning on that night were our signs God was ready for her.

She changed the landscape of each person she encountered beginning very early in life. Tira’s earthly relationship with God began with her birth christening at her Uncle Isiah Owens and Aunt Ruthie’s church, The House of Prayer COGIC. Her spiritual nourishment continued at Ebenezer COGIC, later attending St Marcus Lutheran with her boys. The congregation at Lake Park Lutheran warmly welcomed her in later years.

She was often described as a tiny dynamo with huge personality. Tira welcomed interaction with strangers and new environments. She sought out and conquered most challenges with ease. Tira was a trendsetter and you knew when she entered a room. She moved through the public school system excelling in academics, music, dance and theatre, accumulating awards and scholarships. She graduated from Washington HS at 16years of age with college level credits in computer technology. Tira began University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1991, however left after a number of semesters to begin “adulting” as she described. She would later laugh and tell me that she did not comprehend just how difficult adulting would be. She continued college level studies at various institutions throughout her years.

Her parent’s divorce at about 8 years old was extremely difficult for her. She relied on the strong support system within both parent’s families, neighborhood friends and the foster children relationships she made in her maternal grandparent’s home. Items that had been purchased for her, she gave away to other children and smiled when she said, “but they needed them”. The Ivy’s taught her life skills like gardening and food preparation brought with them from Mississippi, along with genealogy and ancestry. The Ingrams, with 12 children, kept her engaged in lively conversation and debate on sports, trends and current affairs. She often accompanied her various Ingram uncles to the basketball court and did very well. Tira was an integral part of the WHS basketball team the year the girls and boys won the WI state BB championship.

A photographic memory for numbers, her career included positions in business and finance with many of the major city entities: Best Buy, AT&T, Everen Financial, MGIC, NML, City Hall Treasurer’s Office, ending with a position she raved about at Waste Management. A number of the positions she interviewed for, and obtained often required a finance degree. She excelled at them based on interview, personality and career skills. At one point, she also became a joint business owner with her partner Larry Williams-Kimanni’s Dad, while maintaining a full-time position.

Tira made detailed travel itineraries, often videotaping her travels to cosmopolitan areas, which she loved, Chicago, NY, Las Vegas, Memphis, Los Angeles. The highlight of many years was the Atlanta Freak nik Festival. There were sleepless nights and nail biting by her loved ones and she sometimes drove the distance from Milwaukee herself, with one other friend. Tira began driving early and was an extremely skilled highway driver. She finessed her mom into new auto ownership at 17. Tira was a roller-skating pro with almost weekly visits to Zion, IL skate facilities.

The birthday parties she planned and executed for her two fellas were legendary, extravagant affairs often attended by huge numbers of people. Her sons mirror two facets of her personality, Kavonn serious and business minded, Kimanni total personality and charm.

There were devastating people losses throughout her life and severe depression was never far away. Her first love and Kavonn’s father, Gerald Jackson, was tragically killed in 1993. A beloved cousin was lost in her young adult years. The loss of both sets of grandparents (Will & Maddie Ivy and Earl Sr & Georgia Ingram) through the years, whom she loved dearly, weighed heavily on her heart and spirit.

Tira leaves those who will cherish her always: Father-Jackie B Ingram; Mother-Ruth Ingram-Calvin; Step Father-Gregory Calvin Sr; Two Sons-Kavonn Ingram & Kimanni Ingram; Brother-Devereaux B Ingram; Two Step Brothers-Brandon (Joy) Speed of Houston, TX; Gregory (Rebecca) Calvin Jr of Riverside, CA. A “Ride or Die” Cousin Demaris Leflore, Aunt in Love Jacqueline Jackson of Denver, CO; along with a huge tribe and branches on her tree-Aunts, Uncles, Multi-generational Cousins, other relatives and Friends.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, followed by Service at 3:00 PM on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at Krause Funeral Home, 9000 West Capitol Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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