Loleta Marie Tanner

On November 23, 2025, Loleta Marie (Marie) Tanner, 86, passed from this life for a joyful reunion with her husband, Joe, ending twenty-five years of missing him and joining Joe and other loved ones who had gone on before her. Her family was the joy and purpose of her life, and that joy included happiness and pride in the successes and accomplishments of her husband, children and grandchildren and sadness for the adversities and challenges they encountered. As each of her children married, she welcomed their spouses into her family as additional sons and daughters and rejoiced in each grandchild and great-grandchild that came into the family.

Marie was born in Illinois on January 24, 1939, to Rufus and Bertha Spann. As the oldest child, she helped to care for her siblings while her family was living in Bridger Valley. She left home to marry Joseph Tanner, her high school sweetheart, as she was finishing high school. While she was in high school, she and her parents and siblings became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She faithfully lived as a disciple of Jesus Christ through her life, serving others in many ways, including in callings in the church. Although she was a good student, she did not progress beyond high school in her formal education because she chose to focus her life on Joe and their children. While she sometimes regretted not having more education, she found joy in devoting her life to Joe and her family, expressing her love for them quietly through her steady kindness, patience, and sacrifice. In addition to her talents for expressing kindness and love, she enjoyed crocheting, knitting, and quilting, and used those skills to bless her family and others with many beautiful items she made. She had a beautiful soprano voice and enjoyed singing until age made her unable to sing as she had.

In 1976, after living in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, American Samoa, Idaho, and Missouri, Marie and Joe returned home to Lyman, Wyoming, where they finished raising their family and where Marie remained for many years, enjoying friendship and love with extended family and many good friends and neighbors. Marie loved and appreciated her neighbors and ward members in Lyman and Bridger Valley who served and supported her in many ways.

Marie was preceded in death by her husband, parents, siblings Tom, Lee, Pat, Connie and Nancy, and by granddaughters Kimberly Nelson and Alissa Tanner.

She is survived by her sisters Mable Belt and Sandy Anderson, her children Julie Nelson (David), Steven Tanner (LoriAnn), Jeffry Tanner (Valori), Patrick Tanner (Laurel), Andrew Vii Tanner (Annette), Emily Glathar (Darren), Nathan Tanner (Randi), 36 grandchildren and spouses, and 7 great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held on December 4, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:45 p.m. at the LDS chapel at 127 North Main St., Lyman, followed by funeral services at 12:00 p.m.