Art Tangwall was born in Duluth, MN. He moved to Brainerd, MN when he was 8, along with his brothers Doug and Ray. He went to college at Gustavus, where he met his wife Char. They were married for 52 years until Char's death in 2008.

He was drafted during the Korean war and served two years in the Army. Art and Char moved to White Bear Lake in 1957 and lived in the same house for 57 years. He was the original owner of Hi Tempo Ski Shop in White Bear Lake. In his later years, he enjoyed working at the White Bear YMCA and being an active member there as well.

Art and Char had 4 kids - Gary (Deanna), Karen (Jay), Diane (Bill), and Julie (Kurt) along with 12 grandchildren - Danielle, Karlee, Cassie, Natalie, Krista, Erik, Allie, Audrey, Tyler, Kaleb, Jake, and John. One of his top goals was to be a great husband, dad, and grandpa and he accomplished this goal well. Spending time with family was very important to Art. There are many fond memories of family ski trips to Colorado when the kids were young. In later years, the enjoyable family time was spent with kids and grandkids at the family cabin. Art loved attending his grandkids activities. His advise to his kids and grandkids was "Whatever you do, do your best. Use the gifts that God gave you and enjoy life". He also enjoyed skiing, swimming,camping, tennis, basketball, and sailing.

The most important thing to Art was his personal relationship with Jesus Christ and his desire to lead others to Christ.He started the Young Life club in White Bear Lake in the 1960s which allowed him to reach out to high school kids and help them grow in their faith. Later in life, he was very active in Prison Ministries. Art and Char were active members at First Lutheran Church in White Bear Lake for decades.

Lastly, Art was known for his quick wit and sense of humor. As an example, Art often introduced Char as "This is my my first wife but I'm still looking". He always enjoyed making people laugh. We sometimes had to let people know that if Art razzed you, it was a compliment and meant he really liked you.

Memorials preferred to Young Life or Pioneer Pines.