Karen Broadhead Tanner

Karen Broadhead Tanner, (83) passed away peacefully on September 12, 2026, in her home surrounded by her family. Karen was born April 26, 1943, in Heber City Utah to Ray DeLoy Broadhead and Lila Winnifred Johnson Broadhead. Karen was the second of six children. Her siblings are Barbara Ann, Floyd, Vicki, Kathryn and Jan. Karen was raised in Upper Utahn, Duchesne Utah, on a ranch owned by her father. Karen and her older sister Barbara Ann, known as “Ann” learned how to sew, cook, clean and take care of a ranch. Those skills helped Karen win the 1961 Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow for Duchesne High School. Karen was a cheerleader, attended many dances, and had lots of friends in high school. When she was a junior, she met Dan Tanner, and they were married in 1962 but were later divorced. Together they had four boys, Jeff, Darrin, Corey and Travis. Karen was a very caring and understanding mom to four very active boys. Together with her boys they enjoyed hiking, camping and spending time with many aunts, uncles and cousins. During the summer Karen and her sisters would “swap” kids and as a result many of Karen’s nieces and nephews consider Karen to be a second mom.

Karen was very creative. No craft project was safe from Karen. Together with her sister Ann, they enjoyed all sorts of different crafts, including beading and making jewelry, stamping, making cards, making scrapbooks, and quilting. Both Karen and Ann loved to decorate their homes with beautiful things and spent many hours together planning, creating and decorating their homes. Spending time with Ann was the activity Karen looked forward to the most.

After the boys were older, Karen went to work. She worked in several different retail jobs, but her last job, and the one she enjoyed the most, was working for Idaho Counties Risk Management Program. She worked there for 15 years before her retirement.

Karen was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has an unwavering testimony of Jesus Christ and bore witness to her family through her words, deeds and actions. She strongly believed in the power of prayer. She held many callings, but her favorite was being a primary teacher. Karen loved children. Karen loved being a grandma and great-grandma and spent oodles of time “spoiling” her grandchildren. Her grandchildren have fond memories of sleepovers at her house, shopping with grandma, cooking with grandma, but mostly just talking to grandma and having her listening ear for anything they wanted to tell her. Every child, grandchild and great-grandchild of Karen’s knew they were loved.

During retirement Karen joined the organization known as Daughter of the Utah Pioneers, for anyone who was a direct descendant of the early pioneers in Utah. Karen was proud to be a descendant of the first pioneers to settle in Utah. Karen loved the monthly meetings with her DUP sisters and many of those women became very good friends whom she enjoyed spending time with outside their monthly DUP meetings.

Karen is survived by her four sons, Jeff (Mary) of Boise Idaho; Darrin (Tiffany) of Eagle Idaho; Corey, (Liz) of Portland Oregon; and Travis, of Boise Idaho; nineteen grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren with one on the way . Karen was proceeded in death by her parents, Ray Broadhead, and Lila Johnson, two sister Barbara Ann Ewell and Kathryn Broadhead, and a daughter-in-law, Kristina Tway Tanner.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2090 N. Eagle, Rd., in Eagle, with visitation at the church beginning at 10:00 am. Burial will follow at Dry Creek Cemetery in Boise.

Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.