Tanner Brandon Moore

As I wandered around the house, looking for a place to go and write an obituary for my son, I found myself going from room to room and having all kinds of memories as I entered each one. I’m okay with that and I’m very proud to be Tanner’s father. He was and still is a great young man. I love you and I’m proud of you Tanner!

Going back to where Tanner’s life started, at least here on earth, he was born in a small town, in central Colorado, called Salida. The state of Colorado is square in shape. The little town of Salida is right in the middle of the state and is known for being “the heart of the Rockies”. Beautiful country.
Tanner’s mother, Heather Wilson Moore, and myself, Brandon Wayne Moore, were married and already had two beautiful daughters, Abby Rebecca, and Aspen Elise. Tanner came into the world on June 22, 2005. Later in his life, Tanner would get two other totally awesome sisters, Amber Spring, and Brooklyn Sky. With two sisters before and two sisters after, we affectionally said we had a Tanner sandwich. When Tanner found out that our last child was going to be a girl, he cried. He really wanted a brother.

As a family, we moved from Salida, CO in 2010 to Richmond, UT. Tanner went to elementary and middle school in Richmond where he made a number of lifelong friends.

Tanner had a great aptitude for both team and individual sports. It was really fun to watch him work and push himself to improve. Throughout his life, Tanner excelled at more physical activities than I could list. He enjoyed anything with a ball, a bat, a disk (frisbee), a net, or anything that you could ride. He was very diverse and an all-around champion in my book.

When Tanner was 8 years old, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and became what is called “insulin dependent” at a young age. This is a lifelong autoimmune disease that requires much patience, vigilant blood sugar testing, and daily attention to dosing insulin for everything that you eat.

Tanner loved sweets, candy, ice cream, chips, and all kinds of junk food. He takes after his dad in that manner. He loved to share his goodies with his family and friends. As a funny memory, if Tanner ran out of junk food, he would do one of the following: 1. Earn money and go buy some, 2. Ask dad for treats, 3. Borrow and go buy some, or… 4. If there were any leftovers (from an event or activity), he would ask to have the leftovers. That was Tanner!

Tanner had a very kind heart and loved to serve others. He was a friend to many. Tanner had a way of connecting with adults, kids his age, and younger kids as well. It was fun and amazing to watch. Although Tanner lacked a biological brother, he had more brothers than we can count.

One of his closest brothers since middle school is Dillon Lundahl. Tanner and Dillon became friends in the 6th grade when Tanner noticed him walking into school in his walker. Tanner immediately introduced himself and waited for Dillon every morning thereafter. From that moment on, they became inseparable. It was through Dillon and his parents that he was introduced to Top Sports, a league for youth with disabilities to engage in sporting events alongside their peers. Tanner dedicated countless hours serving and volunteering at Top Sports. During high school, he would often take Dillon and Jake Larsen (another one of his awesome brothers) to bowling at Logan Lanes and to get a burger at In and Out. Tanner was a friend to all and wanted everyone to be included, despite their abilities. Well done Tanner!

Tanner was an Eagle Scout and loved being part of the scouting program as a young man. He especially loved the camping trips. He had some excellent leaders that truly loved him. On one of these scout trips, they were going to hike into White Pine Lake. He loved to tell the story about his leader that secretly hiked into the lake beforehand, stashed some cold sodas in the snow, hiked back out, and then led the boys on the hike to the lake. Drinking a cold soda was deluxe after a hot summer hike. He had amazing mentors throughout his life who taught him the value of service.

Throughout high school, Tanner was very involved in sports and teams. The three main teams that he really enjoyed were: The Ultimate Frisbee Team, the Boys Volleyball Team, and the Sky View Cheer and Stunt Team. If you knew Tanner, he was the one who would layout for the catch, dive for the dig, and loved being the spirit master cheerleader, even before he was on the cheer team. Tanner was very competitive and loved to win. He would help and motivate his team and bring them together.

After high school, Tanner tried out to be on the stunt team at Utah State University Spirit Squad. This involved flips, stunts, crowds, games, events, and lifting the girl cheerleaders high in the air. This was perfect for Tanner. He loved it!

Tanner passed away in North Logan, UT, on February 12th, 2024. In Tanner’s extremely short 18 years of life, he accomplished so much. He will be deeply missed. He touched many lives for good. No father wants to write an obituary for his son… that’s tough. However, I love and fully claim my son, my friend, and my buddy – Tanner Brandon Moore!

Our relationship isn’t over, it has just changed. I’m seeing him more fully and I’m hoping that he is learning, growing, and seeing what an impact he made in so many lives. He will always be my son and I, his father. I’m excited to see where it will go! Great memories from the past, making new ones at the present, and hoping for great things to come. I love you T! Keep going! We are cheering you on!

With love, your dad,
Brandon Wayne Moore

P.S. Here are two sweet tributes from his friends and mentors.
“Tanner’s vibrant spirit illuminated every corner of our lives. His boundless energy, sweet disposition, and everlasting smile were the embodiment of the true Aggie spirit. Tanner’s passion for cheering on our Aggies at every athletic event was contagious, uniting us in joy and camaraderie. Though he may no longer be with us in person, his spirit remains an indelible part of the USU family. Tanner will forever reside in our hearts. We can almost hear his cheers echoing from above, urging us on to victory. We feel Tanner close, remembering the beautiful soul that he was, and may his spirit continue to guide us as we move forward, forever cheering us on from up above.” – Instagram – usu_spiritsquad – Morgan Watts – Head Coach - USU Spirit Squad

“This is who Tanner was. He was the guy that cared about others more than himself. He was one of the only friends that Dillon and Jake had that looked past their disabilities and treated them like ‘just one of the guys’. He never hesitated loading up walkers and wheelchairs and hauling them all over town. He was the most Christlike person I have ever known. He didn’t care about what was popular or what everyone else was doing. Just did what was right and genuinely cared about people. He was kind, respectful, dependable and was a joy to have in our home. Thank you for sharing him with us.” – Erica Lundahl – Tanner’s second mother (mother of his good friend Dillon)