Lila Tranby

Lila Lee (Huber) Tranby was born September 30, 1933, on a farm in Herried, SD to Christian and Elizabeth (Wolfer) Huber.  They lived on the family farm until the passing of her father, when their family moved to town.  Her mother opened a small restaurant to support their family where Lila worked. She often told the story of chasing after a customer to return the money he had left on the table. The customer then explained the concept of a “tip” to Lila, which confused her even more.  

Lila graduated from Herried HS in 1951 where she was actively involved as a cheerleader and in the school band.  She worked at the bank in Herried after graduation until she moved to Minneapolis where she worked as a teller at First National Bank for many years.

While living in Minneapolis, Lila met Frank A Tranby Jr. and they fell in love. They married on May 12, 1962, at the Herried Baptist Church and made their home in Richfield MN.  They moved to the Tranby family farm in Deer Creek, MN in 1969 and raised their three boys, Chip, Chuck, and Tim. 

Lila loved to be active in the community, belonging to the Homemakers club, Garden Club, Compton Township Treasurer for 16 years, 4-H with her boys, and was very active in their church Southbrook Baptist in Wadena, MN, where she was a member for 45 years.  Lila loved the Lord and raised her boys in the church. She sang in the choir, was church clerk and involved in many, many potlucks.  She and Frank were always faithful to the Southbrook family and to her Lord and Savior, Jesus. 

She had a great sense of humor and was always a good sport with any prank, most often involving some kind of mouse. If you knew Lila, you knew no conversation was ever brief and no story ever told only once. She loved to make connections and never met a stranger. Once she met you, you were connected for life. She loved to write and document memories, filling pages and pages of journals and scrapbooks.

Lila was a woman of tradition, and while she wasn’t much of a cook or baker, she was never without her Tupperware cake carrier on a birthday, delivering her much anticipated angel food cake. She was consistent and reliable and fun to be around. Grandma Lila rarely said no to her grandkids and her home was thought of as a place you could come and go without judgement or expectation. 

She loved watching her boys grow and have children of their own, then watching her grandkids grow and have children of their own. She was a loving mother (“Ma”), grandma (“Grandma Lila”), and great grandma (“Grandma Yaya”). While Lila will be missed by many, as all who met her loved her, her family rejoices in the fact that she is now with her Savior.  Lila passed away on January 24th in Fargo, ND. We miss her already. 

Preceding Lila in death were her parents, brother Harvey Huber and sisters Estelline and Pearl Huber, her son Chuckie Tranby, her husband Frank and great granddaughter Hadley Tompkins.

Lila is survived by her sons: Chip (Heidi) Tranby of Fargo, ND; and Tim (Michelle) Tranby of Moorhead, MN; grandchildren : Jacob (Christine) Tranby of Norwood Young America, MN - Holly and Jack; Hope (David) Tompkins of Fargo, ND - Harper and Boston ; Madison (Jake Henderson) Maides of West Fargo, ND - Hattie; and Kaden (Hermaone) Tranby of Fargo, ND.

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