Mrs. Brenda Tifft will be remembered for her dedication to her students and love for teaching in rural schools, which she considered her life’s work. She began teaching in Meade 46-1 in 1972, then retired in 2008 and continued to substitute teach for the next ten years. Over the course of her tenure, she taught hundreds of rural students, managing to remember each student’s birthday. Mrs. Tifft worked at the following schools: Elm Springs, Union Center, Hope, Stoneville, Hereford, Atall, Enning, and Opal.
Brenda Jean Munger was born on May 2, 1951 to Harold and Lucy Munger. She was the second youngest of eight children: Yolanda, Kathy, Wilson, David, Charlotte, Candy, and Lee Ann. Her father was born at Lakeside, SD, to homesteaders James Arthur and Violet Munger. Harold grew up in western South Dakota, but raised his family in Erwin, SD. Brenda attended Kindergarten through 11th grade in Erwin, before moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota where her oldest sister lived to graduate high school and attend college. Brenda graduated from Anoka-Ramsey Community College and then attended and graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN with a degree in elementary education.
She began teaching in rural Meade County in 1972. She arrived at Elm Springs with only her dog, Tiny, and a suitcase. She spent the next thirty-six years teaching throughout rural Meade County. While teaching at Stoneville, she met and married Tommy Tifft. They had two children, Jenni (Esteban) Tifft-Ochoa and Glenn Patrick (Kayla) Tifft. One of the greatest joys of her life was becoming a grandmother to her grandson Ryan. She enjoyed spending the summer acquainting Ryan with ranch life in western South Dakota.
Brenda loved gardening, going on walks, puzzles, and beating her friends at Cribbage. Her favorite holiday was Halloween, and she loved seeing her students and neighborhood children dressed up in costumes and trick-or-treating. Later in life, she shared her walks with Oscar, her miniature Schnauzer and Sugar, her Great Pyrenees.
Brenda’s life was enriched by her family, including her aforementioned siblings, children, grandchild, and numerous nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. Brenda was preceded in death by her parents Harold and Lucy, her mother-in-law and father-in-law Inez and Glenn Tifft, her brother David, and her sisters Charlotte and Candy.
A memorial for Brenda will be held 11:00 a.m. at Central Meade County Community Center on June 28, 2025. Brenda’s wishes were to have a memorial service where we invite her former students, coworkers, neighbors, friends, and loved ones to share their memories of her and celebrate her life.
A memorial scholarship fund has been established for rural Meade 46-1 students in Mrs. Tifft’s memory. Donations to the scholarship fund can be made to First National Bank in Philip or to her son and daughter.
