Keith Owen Tanner

Keith Owen Tanner, 62, of Rock Springs passed away Jan. 6, 2015.  A longtime resident of Rock Springs and former resident of Riverton, Tanner passed away following a brief illness.

He was born on July 12, 1952 in Basin, the son of Wesley D. Tanner and Shirley Leone Hunter.

Tanner attended schools in Riverton and graduated from Riverton High School with the class of 1971. He also received schooling as an emergency technician.

He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam conflict. While on a combat operation in South Vietnam in 1971 he was wounded and received the purple heart.

On Dec. 22, 1972 he married Shelly Jo Hunter in Riverton, Wyoming.

Tanner worked as a safety coordinator for Bridger Coal for 30 years, until his retirement in October of 2014. He also worked as an emergency technician for Vase Ambulance Service in Rock Springs on his off time. He also was a teacher and taught classes to train new emergency medical technicians for the State of Wyoming.

He was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, Archie Hay Post #24 and Emergency Medical Technican-ALS and recipient of EMT Class Coordinator of the Year in Wyoming twice.

His interests included being with his family and friends. 

He had a great sense of humor and enjoyed teasing people and making them laugh. He also loved playing and being with his grandchildren, whom he loved dearly.

He enjoyed taking them four-wheeling, dirt bike riding and on nature drives. Most of all he loved his wife and sons, who he was very proud of and especially proud of the decisions they made in life. He will be missed by all and who had the honor to know him.

Survivors include his wife Shelly Jo Tanner of Rock Springs; two sons, Keith Joseph Tanner of Rock Springs and Wesley David Tanner of Salt Lake City; three brothers,  Wesley D. Tanner of Wiesbaden, Germany, Mark A. Tanner of Riverton and Peter A. Tanner of Casper; three sisters, Rita Tanner of Casper, Nancy Tanner of Billings, Mont. and Alice Reynolds of Riverton; five grandchildren, Jay, Owen, Morgan, Levi and Zachary and many cousins, three nephews and nine nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one daughter Monica Faith, who died in 1983.

Cremation has taken place and a memorial service took place Sunday.

The family of Keith Tanner respectfully request that donations be made in his memorial to Hospice of Sweetwater County, 809 Thompson Street, Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901.