Early Saturday morning, August 13, 2011, a giant of a man returned to His beloved Father in Heaven. Merlynn M. Tanner, died quickly and quietly, just as he had wished. Only two weeks before, David and I had visited him and his sweet eternal companion, Martha, and he expressed the desire to just quietly slip away in his sleep. He said he had a good life and it could be as soon as the next week, although his cardiologist recently joked that since he’d made it to 95, now he was going for 100.
We were in Oregon, staying right on the beach, with all of our children and grandchildren, when we got the call. It was David’s birthday, as well. While it was not totally unexpected, the reality is that nothing really prepared us for the finality of Dad’s death. But the timing for such an experience really could not have been better, with our family gathered all around in a beautiful, comfortable home and the opportunity to tell them of the goodness of their Grandpa Tanner, that his greatest desire for his posterity was for them to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to bear testimony of Our Heavenly Father’s great Plan of Salvation. We were quite overwhelmed with the immediate response of our children to all be in Payson to celebrate Grandpa’s life and to support Grandma. They and their spouses have made great sacrifices to allow this to come to pass. Grandpa would be so proud of them and Grandma will be so happy to have them all there.
Merlynn grew up in Payson, Utah, where he had a childhood of one adventure after another and a number of brushes with death. He recently made a CD of stories from his life, which focused on his childhood and which delighted the family and really connected with the great grandchildren. He served in the Navy during World War II, which was ironic because he never learned to swim during his long life. He returned to Payson after his service and spent the rest of his life in the place that he loved and where his roots went deep, the descendant of pioneers who helped settle Payson. He was smitten with a pretty girl from Spanish Fork and they married and built a home in Payson, where they raised 6 children. Two weeks ago, they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Dad was devoted to his wife and they worked side by side throughout his life, raising their family, making a comfortable home, bottling the fruits of their garden, and always serving those around them. His garden was legendary and much of their produce over the years was shared with neighbors and those who were in need. Each of the grandchildren and many great grandchildren spent time in Grandpa’s garden, where he taught them how to harvest, where they enjoyed lots of fresh tasty samples, and where Grandpa shared important life lessons. Dad and Mom enjoyed traveling and loved seeing Europe, Scandinavia, the Holy Land, among other interesting places. They served a mission in Seattle, Washington, working primarily with refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia, teaching them life skills that they would need in their totally foreign new culture. Following their return from their mission, they served for 19 ½ years as ordinance workers in the Provo Temple. Most recently, Dad was the tender care-giver for Martha, never missing a beat, even with a tired heart that just kept on ticking. We were all amazed that he just kept going and going!
In his younger years, Merlynn was the proud owner/manager of Payson Furniture and was known for his honesty and customer service. For over 30 years, he personally delivered furniture, appliances, and installed carpet and drapes in a multitude of homes in the Payson area and in Utah and Juab Counties. He was involved in his community, principally with the Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club, and was instrumental in saving the historic Peteetneet School to be used as a community center and in establishing the Tanner Room in the center, which contains Tanner Family history. It was, however, as a member of the Park Ward Bishopric and then as the Bishop of the Park Ward that he had his greatest influence for good in Payson. He was known for his charity and service to his beloved Park Ward. He was also known for helping to start the annual Salmon Supper in the city park as a means to raise money for the Ward budget and his legacy continues today as Payson City later took over the wildly successful event, holding the latest Supper just last weekend. His lifelong love affair with horses began when Dad was 4 years old and he reluctantly gave up his horses only a few years ago when he felt that he was getting too old to ride. One of his favorite sayings was “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” One of his last big adventures was riding into the Grand Canyon, at the age of 86, on the back of a mule named Hoot.
Dad was a man of integrity who taught by word and deed the importance of living worthy of the great Tanner name. His dry humor was legendary, but he will also be remembered for the many times his voice choked with emotion as he expressed his love for his children and grandchildren and his testimony of the Gospel. At the end of the CD he made in January, his parting counsel to his family was to serve the Lord and keep the commandments. His life-long example of faith, obedience to the Gospel, working hard, and of charity and service is an amazing legacy to his posterity. Elder M. Russell Ballard told a story in the last General Conference of a prospector who patiently accumulated flecks of gold until he had great wealth. Elder Ballard spoke of the flecks of gospel gold patiently accumulated over a lifetime until they grow to be our ultimate treasure- the precious gift of eternal life. Though losing Dad is hard and sad, we are filled with joy in knowing that Dad patiently accumulated those flecks of gospel gold over his lifetime and we know that he has earned his reward of eternal life.
