Elsa Jean Tugman

Elsa Jean Tugman of St. Petersburg died on Wednesday October 17, 2012. She was born in Mingus, TX on February 17th, 1918. She attended Mary Hardin-Baylor Girls College and studied at the Foreign Service Institute in Crystal City, Washington, DC prior to going to Copenhagen, Denmark with Col. Robert Tugman's Army Attaché to the American Embassy. Elsa moved to St. Petersburg in 1968 when Col. Tugman was assigned to Strike Command at MacDill AFB. She set up an organization for the wives and relatives that were in Vietnam called the Waiting Wives. She was a Princess in Queen's Court 1987. She was a member of St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Civitan, Historical Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Pelican, Stuart Society, She was on the board of Stuart Society and of St. Anthony auxiliary, member of All Children's Hospital Guild, Sword of Hope, Cross of Lorraine, Boley Angels, St. Petersburg Women's Club, an honorary member of American Women's Club in Denmark, Infinity Club, Retired Officers' Wives, Florida Orchestra, Questers, Florida International Museum, Danish Sun Coast Club, and volunteer for the American Red Cross. Elsa received the key to the City of St. Petersburg. She had the privilege of meeting Royalty, seeing her husband Knighted by the Queen of Denmark -Sir Robert Foley Tugman. She was a member of St. Raphael's Catholic Church and Guild and one of her great honors was to humbly serve the Lord as a Eucharistic Minister. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Robert Foley Tugman and a son Thomas Tugman. She is survived by her son Michael (Sharon) Tugman, Fort White, FL; daughter-in-law Carolina Tugman, King George, VA; 5 grandchildren Brett, Donald, Vinny, Joey, and Logan; niece and nephews Attorney Michael and Deborah Estelmann, sister-in-law Loretta (Robert) Fiebrandt and family, Orlando, FL, Frances Johnson, Buelton, CA, Marie Quinn, Metaire, LA, Leo and Hiromi Meneghetti; Family John Meneghetti (Marty), Dallas, TX, Dr. Anne Meneghetti, Cambridge, MA, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Elledge, Houston, TX, Louis and Erika Meneghetti, Katy, TX, Tony and Shelly Meneghetti, San Fransisco, CA, Frank and Karen Menghetti, Dallas, TX, Susan Meneghetti, Kansas City, MO,. There will be a visitation on Sunday October 21 from 3:30-4:30 pm with Wake service at 4:30 pm at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home 2201 Dr. M.L. King St. N. Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 am on Monday October 22 at St. Raphael's Catholic Church. Burial will be next to her husband at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Leukemia Research Foundation or St. Petersburg Civitan Club.