Varda Bodily Tanner

On Pioneer Day, Varda Tanner, dear beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away in her husband’s arms. She was stung by a bee while pursuing her passion of gardening. This was just two weeks before her 59th Wedding Anniversary (Leon Williams Tanner).

Varda was born prematurely on March 16, 1945, to Oral and Audrey Bodily in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She spent her first 12 years living and working on a farm in Osgood, Idaho. She loved attending Osgood Elementary School where she had many friends and made many fond memories. At age 12, her family bought a motel in Blackfoot, ID. She spent the rest of her adolescent years living in the motel, cleaning rooms day after day where she developed a strong work ethic, and a love for cleanliness; she believed and often stated, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. 

While living in Blackfoot, she worked at Kesler’s grocery store as a cashier and at a beauty shop. She loved to wash the shop windows because she was able to work outside and visit with friends as they passed by on the sidewalk. She graduated in 1963 from Blackfoot High School. While attending Blackfoot HS, she participated on the school’s drill team and pep club. After High School, she attended Ricks College and performed on the Vikadettes drill team.

At 17 years old, while attending church, Varda met Leon Tanner the day before he left on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon returning from his mission, Leon and Varda began dating and were married on August 6, 1965. After their wedding, they moved to Provo, Utah where she attended and graduated as a cosmetologist from Mary Kawakami College of Beauty. In 1968, Leon graduated from BYU and accepted a job which took them to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 

In November 1968 they moved from Pennsylvania to the San Francisco area. In June of 1969 they moved back to Utah and settled in Bountiful. Leon and Varda loved living in Bountiful. In 1976 they moved to Blackfoot, Idaho for three years. They then moved back to Utah, settling in Centerville. They have lived in Centerville ever since. Varda loved each of the houses she lived in and made them a home for her family. 

Varda and Leon are the proud parents of 5 children. Varda spent her life teaching her family about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She loved cheering for the underdog (BYU and the Jazz). Her passions included cleaning and decorating her home, manicuring the yard (to perfection), talking to her family and friends on the phone, playing games like Skipbo, planning and hosting family parties and vacationing with her husband and children. She loved her family.

Varda held numerous callings in The Church of Jesus Christ (where she gained life-long friends). She diligently served in each of her church callings and as a result grew closer to the Savior. One of her most treasured callings was teaching Sunday School to the youth, bearing testimony to them that Jesus Christ is our Savior, Redeemer and our Friend.

Varda gained a deeper love for the Savior while visiting Israel and serving a mission with her husband in the Massachusetts, Boston mission (2014-15). She loved serving the people of Rhode Island. That year was one of the happiest years of her life. 

Varda loved history and was able to travel the world seeing people and places she had learned about in books. She loved to read and was a founding member of a book club in Centerville in which she was a member for over 30 years.

She is survived by her loving husband Leon, and her children: Nicole, Janet (Darin), Jason (Holly), Travis (Nicki), Cory (Trisha), 17 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren; as well as her sisters, Jeanine and Marcia. She is preceded in death by her parents, Oral and Audrey Bodily, and her siblings, DaNae, Valloy, and Dallas.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 pm, Thursday August 1, 2024, at the Centerville 2nd Ward Building, 1475 North 50 East, Centerville, Utah. Friends and family may visit before the funeral on Thursday from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Interment will be at the Bountiful City Cemetery. 

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin about 10-15 minutes prior to the service and will be posted below.

Memories may be shared in the "Guestbook" on this obituary page.