John Theodore (Ted) Tanner, beloved husband, father, and friend passed Friday, January 31st at Dell Seton Hospital in Austin, TX.  He was born October 24, 1939 in Borger, TX, son of Roy and Clara (Wertz) Tanner.  The Tanners had moved from Loveland, CO to the Texas boom town in 1927 where Mr. Tanner helped build the refineries;  he spent the rest of his career working for JM Huber Corp in Borger.

Ted graduated from Borger High in 1958.  He went to Frank Phillips College in Borger and graduated from Colorado State University in Ft Collins in 1962.  He joined the Navy and attended officer training and flight schools in Corpus Christi and Pensacola.   He was a navigator/bombadier on the A3 Skywarrior (the "Whale") flying from the Oriskany and Enterprise carriers in the South China Sea, Viet Nam in 1964-1966.  Of the twenty-one planes in his squadron, only three returned after two years (mostly mechanical difficulties).   Admiral James Stockdale was his air group commander (Stockdale was the longest held POW in Hanoi Hilton).  John McCain was also on the Oriskany the year after Ted left.  These flyers reunited from time to time.

After leaving the Navy, Ted was hired by Firestone to train in their corporate headquarters in Akron, OH.  He had a career "selling tires" as he always said, and retired as a District Manager from Yokohama Tire Co in California in 2002.  He and his wife, Sandra Gairrett Tanner, had two sons. Ted and Sandy retired to Colorado Springs in 2005 where she passed in 2012.

Ted married Bonnie (Williams) Studebaker April 13, 2013.  Bonnie had retired from the Investment Banking/Securities Industry in Dallas in 2007, and retired to Sun City, Georgetown, TX.  Bonnie's hometown was also Borger, TX where she and Ted had been high school sweethearts. The two spent summers in Colorado Springs and winters in Georgetown for five years, then made Sun City their permanent home.  They enjoyed traveling the world, learning to play mountain dulcimers with the Sun City group, and enjoyed their large combined families of five sons & their families.  Between them, they had seven grandchildren.

Ted is survived by wife, Bonnie Tanner; his two sons, Chris Tanner of Colorado Springs, CO and Tim Tanner (Carrie) of Grants Pass, OR; also three stepsons: David Studebaker, Arvada, CO, Mike Studebaker (Teri) of Richardson, TX, and Paul Studebaker of Richardson, TX.  He is also survived by his grandson, Charlie Tanner of Grants Pass, OR; and step-grandchildren: Sarah Studebaker, Lakewood, CO, Rachel Studebaker, Anchorage, AK, Austin Studebaker, Plano, TX, Cole Studebaker (Melissa), Plano, TX, Reid Studebaker, New York City, and Cami Studebaker, Dallas, TX.

Services will be held Tues, Feb 4 @ 1pm at Ramsey Funeral Home Chapel,  5600 Williams Drive, Georgetown, TX 78633.  In lieu of flowers, donations would be encouraged to St. Judes Childrens Hospital, Memphis, TN or The Caring Place in Georgetown, TX.

You may share a message or memory in the online memorial guestbook at www.RamseyFuneral.com.