Edward Tanner Obituary

Former Durango resident Edward John Tanner died of Alzheimer's disease Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, in St. George Utah. He was 87.

Mr. Tanner was born to Eric and Doris Tanner on July 18, 1925, in Indianapolis.

He moved to Durango in September 1984 and left in September 2003.

He graduated from Caldwell High School in Idaho and joined the Navy at age 17, serving as a diver at Pearl Harbor just after the attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a graduate degree in engineering and was a senior engineer with Northrop in Downey, Calif.

Mr. Tanner also held several positions in law enforcement through the years: undercover security for the Los Angeles Police Department during the 1984 Olympics and later for the New York Police Department; deputy with the La Plata County Sheriff's Office; Western Slope major with Colorado Mounted Rangers Troop D; search and rescue; and he provided security at Vallecito Lake through Animas Investigations.

He was CEO of Animas Investigations in Durango. While living in the area, he also was a llama rancher and loved to show the animals to schoolchildren and visitors at Tanners Llamas of Colorado. He enjoyed fishing and hunting.

Mr. Tanner was commodore of the San Pedro Yacht Club in California, a member of the Lake Havasu Yacht Club in Arizona and a life member of Durango Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks Lodge No. 507.

Mr. Tanner was preceded in death by his former wife, Eileen Tanner; and son Marc Tanner.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Daphne Tanner, of St. George; daughter, Christi Lynn Carey, of Parks, Ariz.; stepsons Chris Burke of Durango, Scott Burke of Destin, Fla., and Air Force Capt. Edward Shawn Burke of Honolulu; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a nephew.

A funeral and Navy burial of cremated remains will be held at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, 2013, at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, Nev.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made online to the Wounded Warrior Project or the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund.