Patricia Ann Nowell Tanner
Patricia Nowell Tanner
1933 - 2019
Patricia Ann Nowell was born on July 20, 1933 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Reynolds Irwin Nowell and Hannah Cannell Nowell. She died of natural causes on February 19, 2019 in Provo, Utah.
Pat was the second of Hannah and Ren’s three children. Her father’s career was in New York City, as Chief Economist at the Equitable Life Assurance Co. She had an idyllic childhood growing up in Maplewood and Mendham, New Jersey with the “best of both worlds.” At home she could wander through the woods, play tennis, swim or ice skate on the pond, while also having close access to the city for Broadway plays, exciting department stores, and the annual Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall. The Nowells were active members of the New York Stake and the East Orange Ward, and Pat’s early social life revolved around church friends and activities, including formal dances in the hardwood ballroom of the family home.
Pat received an outstanding secondary education at Kent Place School, an all-girls high school in Summit, New Jersey, graduating in 1951. She then attended Brigham Young University where she was very active in student government, serving as President of the Associated Women Students, and graduating in 1955 with a double degree in English and Psychology. More than 20 years later, as a busy mother of three children, she earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California overseas program. She was a lifelong avid reader.
After college graduation Pat moved to San Francisco where she taught ballroom dance at Arthur Murray Dance Studios and spent many enjoyable evenings with her fellow teachers tearing up the floor at various dance venues around the Bay. Eventually she moved to Berkeley and attended the LDS Institute where she met up again with Jordan Tanner, whom she had met on a blind date at a BYU / U of U basketball game. They were married by Elder Harold B. Lee in the Salt Lake Temple in 1960 and had three children, all born in Korea: Eric Lee (adopted as a young orphan); Jeffrey Atkin and Timothy Nowell.
Following a brief stay with the bride’s parents in New Jersey, the couple embarked on a life of adventure and service to country as Jordan began a 27-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service. After Jordan’s junior officer training in Washington, D.C., they were posted to Seoul, Korea briefly for their first assignment, then on to longer assignments in Jakarta, Indonesia; back to Korea; Washington, D.C.; Karachi, Pakistan; Korea again; Provo, Utah; and Cape Town, South Africa where they enjoyed four delightful years. Their final transfer was to Canberra, Australia where they spent a year before Jordan retired. Their retirement years were spent in Provo, Utah where Jordan was born and raised.
Pat put her education to good use, finding employment wherever the couple moved around the world. She worked at the Ford Foundation, the America-Korea Foundation, USAID, taught English as a second language at Hyundai in Korea and at BYU’s English Language Center, advised foreign students seeking to study in the U.S., and was hired by the University of Cape Town to develop English curriculum and teaching methodologies for use in black secondary schools in South Africa. Upon returning to the U.S., Pat’s professionalism and strong work ethic turned a temporary assignment into a twelve-year career as a project manager at Dynix, where she implemented contracts for library systems automation. She found great satisfaction in finally being able to stay at the same job for an extended period, and Dynix became almost a second home--she was respected and loved by colleagues and clients alike.
Just about everyone who ever met Pat noted what a kind, gracious person she was and took an instant liking. She bore her trials--health and otherwise—with courage, humor, patience and great strength. She was a fountain of unconditional love to her family.
She was a lifetime member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many positions throughout her life abroad and at home. In Karachi, Pakistan, there was no organized church but the small family held regular services in their home. She was a dedicated family historian.
Pat is survived and deeply mourned by her husband, Jordan; her children: Eric, Jeff (m. Janene Horrocks), and Tim (m. Sally Atkinson); her grandchildren: Trevor, Brittany, Daniel, Tricia (of Draper, Utah) and Oliver, Nicholas and Miriam (of New York, New York); her sister Dorothy; and many beloved nieces and nephews. Her younger brother Jim predeceased her last year.
Those wishing to pay their respects may attend a viewing on Saturday, February 23, 2019 from 10-10:45 a.m., to be followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. at the Grandview Stake Center, 1600 North 1880 West in Provo, Utah. Interment in Provo City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the V Jordan and Patricia N. Tanner Endowment for Students Studying to Promote U.S. Diplomacy, at BYU’s Kennedy Center for International Studies.
Funeral Directors: Utah Valley Mortuar
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