In Loving Memory of Little Prince Viggo

We are Ashley and Theron Tingstad of Ann Arbor, Michigan, grateful parents of Viggo Rick Tingstad, our very own Little Prince.

We plan to start a foundation or non-profit to share the lessons Viggo brought to this world during his short but impactful life. The details are TBD, but we will focus on children with life-threatening conditions and their families, pediatric palliative and hospice care, home funerals, and spiritual support.

If you wish to support this work, please give here. If the organization is not up and running within one year, we will donate the funds to the Anchors Program for Children, the Courageous Parents Network, and/or other organizations that do similar work.

You can follow along for updates on Facebook and Instagram @momherenow or www.momherenow.com, and at www.littleprinceviggo.com.

Please see below for Viggo's obituary.

On July 18th 2022 at 6:17am, the Little Prince of Ann Arbor, Viggo Rick Tingstad, took his leave of this world, dying peacefully in the arms of his parents. He lived like a shooting star that blazes across the night sky for a fleeting moment.

Viggo was born on January 8th 2022. During his six months on this planet he made his mark on the hearts and minds of those who knew him and knew of him. Viggo was born with a genetic condition that made him literally a one-in-one-hundred-million baby.

From the get-go it was evident that Viggo’s time here would be short, so he and his family made the best of it. Viggo cuddled with his mom a lot and he wiggled each morning when he heard his brother and sister’s voices. He often held his right hand – aka his “happy hand” – aloft for half-an-hour. He could have been quoting Shakespeare or conducting an orchestra. Viggo’s smiles were rare but unforgettable, eliciting cheers, which would then startle him. Once when his dad came home from work, Viggo looked his dad right in the eyes and smiled. He loved being outside in his stroller. He once danced with his family at an outdoor concert! In early July, he traveled to Pittsburgh and went swimming at a pool party.

Viggo liked baths, music and massage therapy, night lights, morphine and his changing table. He disliked dirty diapers, medical procedures and anyone messing with his right hand. You couldn’t beat him in a staring contest.

Viggo is survived by his sister and brother, Rosa and Galileo, by his mother and father, Ashley and Theron, and by Ulysses the cat. His family wishes to extend special thanks to Viggo’s Nana, Linda Waddell, who cared for Viggo daily, to Opa who stayed with Viggo many nights, and to all of the friends and family who pitched in to make his life more meaningful, joyful, and full of love.

A child-friendly memorial service will be held at St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Saline, Michigan on July 21, 2022 at 2pm.