Aaron Jacob Tanner

Wasilla resident Aaron Jacob Tanner, 38, went to be with the Lord on March 6, 2014.

Aaron was born in Anchorage April 26, 1975, to Yukon Don and Coleen Tanner. Aaron was a lifelong Alaskan and graduated from Matanuska Christian School in 1993.

He greatly valued honor and loyalty, and for love of country, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1994 to 1999. He was a U.S. Navy veteran aboard the USS Nimitz CVN 68, an aircraft carrier. His grade was Petty Officer Third Class and he received two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, two Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals, a National Defense Service Medal, a Meritorious Unit Commendation award, a Navy “E” Ribbon and a Good Conduct Medal. He served two tours in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm and completed his time in the Navy on a world cruise.

Aaron was the captain of the USS Nimitz soccer team and player-coach through five overseas stops that included games in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Japan. He received MVP in 1997 and played on the all-Navy soccer team for 25 games around the world. Aboard the USS Nimitz, Aaron served for two years as galley captain, supervising up to 10 cooks to feed 5,000 personnel. He also served two years as watch captain, supervising seven people for shipboard security on half of the aircraft carrier.

Upon his honorable discharge from the Navy, Aaron served his local Alaska community as a coach for the Wasilla High School boys’ soccer team and as a social worker for troubled teenage boys. He worked for the Alaska Department of Corrections at the Mat-Su Youth Facility in Palmer for many years. Aaron loved his family, friends, country and soccer. He brought a smile to all who knew him.

Aaron was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Coleen Ann Tanner; his grandparents, Albert and Darlene Tanner; cousins, Luke Delia, Christopher Stringer and Douglas Michael Tanner; and his dog, Abby.

He is survived by his father and stepmom, Yukon Don and Beverly Tanner of Talkeetna; mom, Kristan Cole of Wasilla; brother and sister-in-law, Jesse and Jennifer Tanner of Wasilla; niece and soon-to-be nephew, Taylee and Cruz Jacob Tanner of Wasilla; sister and brother-in-law, Kristi and David Mock of Wasilla; brother, Zachariah Tanner of Wasilla; sister, Teagen Tanner of Wasilla; grandparents, Hank and Ellen de Koning of Burchard, Neb; grandfather, Butch Sapp of Wasilla; and grandmother, Cheryl Moseley of Charlotte, N.C. He is also survived by several loving uncles, aunts and cousins.

A memorial service is at 2 p.m., May 10 at Wasilla Bible Church. A celebration of life will immediately follow at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla.

Any money donated for Aaron will be given to a local youth soccer organization to send comp players to the best available training camps.