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Obituary of John Tanner

Speer—John Tanner, 93, of Apostolic Christian Skylines, 7023 NE Skyline Drive, Peoria, formerly of Speer, Illinois, passed away at 4:20 p.m. on Friday, March 16, 2007, at Methodist Medical Center, Peoria.

John was born on March 27, 1913, in Tremont, Illinois, the son of Rudolph and Mina Haefli Tanner.  He married Margaret Merkle on April 2, 1939, at the Apostolic Christian Church in Peoria.  She preceded him in death on July 7, 2003.

Surviving are two sons, Harold (and Imogene) Tanner and Richard (and Marilyn) Tanner of Speer; two daughters, Wilma (and Melvin) Knobloch of Rock Rapids, IA, and Nancy (and Herb) Stoller of Germantown Hills, IL; one brother, Ben Tanner of Goodfield, IL; and three sisters, Clara Yackley and Emily Tanner of Peoria, and Minnie Grusy of Eureka, IL; 14 grandchildren, Derek (and Connie) Knobloch of Alvord, IA, Denton (and Rose) Knobloch of West Bend, IA, Julie (and Nick) Schmidt of Winthrop, MN, Dudley (and Sara) Knobloch and Dustin (and Michelle) Knobloch of Steen, MN, Marti (and Brent) Gutwein of Rensselaer, IN, Jill (and Frank) Gutwein and Win (and Amy) Stoller of Germantown Hills, IL, Amy (and Rod) Brewer of Speer, Jody (and George) Williams of Lafayette, CO, Wayne (and Betsy) Tanner of Chicago, IL, Craig (and Katie) Tanner and Jennifer (and Ben) Beaver of Speer, and John (and Jill) Tanner of Dunlap, IL; and 30 great-grandchildren.

John was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, including his infant twin William, Adolph, Gotthold and Paul; and three sisters, Adella Stahl and twins Mary and Martha Tanner.

At age 34, John founded Tanners Orchard in Speer and, with his family during the next 60 years, grew the orchard business to a well-known fruit growing business and a fun destination for many family-oriented activities.  John served the Illinois Horticulture Society in various posts including its president and was inducted into the Society’s Hall of Fame.  He also was active in the Illinois Fruit Council, Illinois Fruit Bureau, and the International Fruit Tree Association.  During John’s leadership of the orchard, Tanners received many awards for outstanding achievements in fruit production.

Mr. Tanner was a member of the Apostolic Christian Church in Bradford, IL, where his funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 19, 2007.  Church ministers will officiate.  Visitation will be at Hammitt-Hott Funeral Home in Princeville, IL, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 18, 2007, and from 9:00 to 9:45 a.m. before services on Monday.  Burial will be at the Apostolic Christian Church Cemetery in Bradford.

Memorials may be made to Apostolic Christian Skylines, 7023 NE Skyline Drive, Peoria, IL  61614.

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