Michael Starr Tarner III

                             September 26, 1940-February 26, 2017

Michael was born on a dairy farm in Newville, PA. He graduated from Big Spring High School in 1958.

In 1962 he graduated from Pennsylvania State University where he met his wife, Patricia, of 55 years.

Michael served as an officer in the United States Navy on the USS Duxbury Bay during two tours in the Middle East. The ship's mission was to 'show the flag' between the Suez and the Indian sub-continent.

The family moved to New Orleans where Michael worked as an operations analyst for Standard Fruit Division of Dole. He worked primarily in Central America.

In 1970 he joined Ivey's a southeastern department store chain as an operations manager. Michael was promoted to Vice President of operations in 1974, then Senior Vice President of Operations in 1980.

Ivey's was acquired by Batus Retail and Michael was sent to their northwest chain, Frederick and Nelson in Seattle, Washington in 1984 as Senior Vice President of Operations. He retired from Frederick and Nelson as Senior Vice President of Operations.

Michael was able to spend his early years of retirement at the family's water front home on Puget Sound, south of Kingston, Washington.

In 2004 Michael and Patricia moved to SaddleBrooke, an active adult community, in the Tucson Hills of Arizona.

Michael is survived by his wife, Patricia; his son Michael, his daughter Lisa, and his son Kevin; his seven grandchildren, McCullough, Joshua, Jacob, Aaron, Caleb, Victoria and Sebastian; his brother Allan and his four nieces, Emily, Hillary, Jenni and Kelli.

Michael will be laid to rest in the family plot in the Newville Cemetery on March 12, 2017 in a grave side service. A formal memorial service will be held in SaddleBrooke Arizona in early April.   

 Service Information