Joyce Tanner Stalnaker
April 8, 1931 – May 6, 2021
Joyce Tanner Stalnaker, 90, of West Valley City, Utah, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, May 6, 2021, surrounded by her loving family.
Joyce exuded kindness and warmth and had a natural interest in people, always generous with love, compassion, and understanding for others. “Charity, service, and Christ” are the descriptors that easily come to their families’ minds. With an adorable twinkle in her eye, Joyce had a full laugh that drove others to join in and call everyone “dear” or “you sweet thing”.
Joyce and her twin sister Joan were born on April 8, 1931 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Alta Rowse and Douglas Floyd Tanner. Joyce loved being a twin, and she and Joanie had endless fun growing up as “The Tanner Twins,” inseparable, dressing the same and switching places in elementary school so everyone could double their favorite classes: art for Joyce and music for Joan.
At the age of 12, her family moved to Tanner Home at 250 South 10th East in Salt Lake City and filled this beautiful, historic apartment with joyful laughter and devoted love for one another – and always with an abundance of beautiful music. Joyce loved to sing and groom and shared this talent all her life.
Joyce graduated from East High School in 1948 and attended the University of Utah, where the Tanner Twins participated in many on-campus activities and were in the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. They sang in the Homecoming Quartet competitions and won first place two years in a row. The twins also wrote the music for the Greek Spring Choir competitions. Joyce directed the kappas and Joan accompanied them and received this grand prize two years in a row. Joyce proudly wore her white WRA letter sweater to earn the Women’s Recreational Association’s highest athletic degree at the time. She was also a member of Spurs and Cwean and President of the Mortar Board.
During college summer, the Tanner Twins worked on the Grand Canyon waitress and provided musical entertainment with shows written specifically for them. At 5’9 “, the twins were not only distinguished by their stately beauty, but also by their extraordinary musical talents.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1952, Joyce spent a summer in Yellowstone National Park, then started a job with Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph and formed the vocal trio “Belltones” with friends and associates Diane “Duffy” Dunford and Beth Coffman. In the mid-1950s, Joyce began touring Europe for the US Air Force Special Services, where she met the handsome pilot Robert at the Oktoberfest in Germany. Joyce married Robert Lee (Bob) Stalnaker in 1957 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany’s Rhineland, and her military journey continued with four stops in the United States: Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Phoenix, AZ, and Nellis AFB in southern Nevada , McConnell AFB in Wichita, KS, and March AFB (now Air Reserve Base) in Riverside, CA.
They moved to Salt Lake City in 1961 when Bob began an air traffic controller career with the Federal Aviation Administration. The next year they settled in Granger, where they raised their four children. Joyce loved her family dearly, and by example, taught her children to be caring, open-minded, and to seek goodness in others. Over the years the family has had many happy times boating and camping on their property near Flaming Gorge and on annual trips to Bob’s family farm in Kansas.
Joyce began volunteering at the Salt Lake County Detention Center in 1962, helping young people in the juvenile justice system. Through her dedicated service, Joyce turned this into a job as director of the volunteer program at the facility, where she created an excellent plan that involved volunteer leaders and teachers from many backgrounds to provide instruction, mentoring and support. Joyce was also instrumental in building a chapel in the internment camp to understand the importance of a spiritual refuge for residents. Joyce was a firm believer in the power of personal change and has been a constant source of encouragement, support, and guidance to young people in difficult circumstances.
She returned to the University of Utah in 1980 and earned her Masters in Social Work three years later to further improve her knowledge and experience. In 1995, she retired from Salt Lake County after influencing life for 32 years.
In her retirement, Joyce continued to be active and involved with her family, many friends, and social activities, and the church service. She worshiped her children and grandchildren and was with them as often as possible and often traveled to attend and attend special events such as school programs, Church milestones, graduations, and weddings. Her door was always open for grandchildren to come and stay, and she was always ready with a warm hug.
Throughout Joyce’s life, music accompanied everything. She and her dear friends Peggy Christensen and Phyllis (Williams) Bendixen formed a trio with Sandra Whitlock at the piano and founded a group aptly named “The Friends”. They ran original programs throughout the Salt Lake Valley from 1970 to 1980 and entertained each other at numerous church and business events. She enjoyed many opportunities to sing in church and conduct music for regular Sunday services and special programs.
Joyce was a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A woman of deep faith and integrity, she served in many positions in directing primary and Relief Society at both ward and stake levels, and in a variety of musical positions.
She’s singing with the angels now and that chorus has gotten sweeter.
Joyce is survived by: children Keri Denise (Kelly) Graff, Santa Clara, Utah, Mark Lee, Magna, Utah, Scott Lee (Loralie), South Bank, Utah and Shauna Joan (Scott) Anton, Temecula, California; 14 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; Sister Gayle (Ken) Cromer; Brother Bruce (Stephanie) Tanner; and sister-in-law JoAnn Tanner. She is affectionately greeted, on the other hand, by those who preceded death: her husband Robert Lee; their parents; Twin sister Joan Shrum; Brothers Floyd and Douglas Jr .; newborn son Douglas Lee; and daughter-in-law Jeri.
Funeral services will be held at Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ, Jordan, 6th Ward, North Ward 4100, 4100 South Bangerter Hwy, West Valley City, Utah, on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 1 p.m. Tours will be held on Friday, May 14, 2021, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 South Redwood Road, Taylorsville, Utah. and at LDS Church at noon, one hour before the funeral service. Burial: Valley View Memorial Park, 4400 West 4100 South, West Valley City, Utah. Funeral Home: McDougal Funeral Homes, Taylorsville, Utah.
The family especially thanks Marie, Angelica, Mandy, Cami and Ashlee from Aspen Ridge Hospice and Lorna Middleton Almond for their loving and compassionate care.
Published by Deseret News May 10-14, 2021.
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