Stella Thomas Tanner

Stella Thomas Tanner of Concord, Virginia, died on Sunday, August 9, 2020. She was predeceased by her husband, Frank Calvin Tanner, Sr.
Stella was born in Appomattox County, the daughter of the late Lyle B. Thomas and Helen Drinkard Thomas. Her beloved uncle, Frank M. Thomas also predeceased her. She was a member of Hebron Baptist Church where she lovingly served in the Nursery for over 50 years.
She is survived by her two children, Catherine Tanner Brown and husband, Jed, of Concord and Frank C. Tanner, Jr. and wife, Beth, of Pearisburg, Va.; her five grandchildren, Hampton Ballard, Nathan Thomas Tanner and wife, Paige, David Carlyle Brown and wife, Ashley, Reid Ballard and her only granddaughter, Diana Brown Weeks and husband, Rodney. She is also survived by her precious great-granddaughters, Kamryn Adair Weeks and Scarlet Astelle Tanner, and her beloved great-grandsons, Tanner Wayne Weeks and Maximus David Tanner.
Stella is also survived by her brother-in-law, Vincent Russell of Moseley, Va. She was also blessed to have a huge loving family of nieces, nephews and cousins, and an awesome Church family.
In addition to her parents, Stella was predeceased by her sisters, Faye Thomas Russell, Anne Thomas Stratton and husband Kelly, and Charlene Thomas Raddin and husband, Richard, and a brother, Ray B. Thomas.
After retiring from the Trust Department of Sun Trust Bank, Stella was given the great opportunity of working with her dear friend, Mrs. Elizabeth M. Forsyth, as she developed Miriam's House, a home for homeless women and their children in Lynchburg, and also Elizabeth's Early Learning Center, a premier childcare center in Lynchburg, endorsed by the National Association for the education of Young Children, NAEYC.
Stella always said that God put her on this earth to make a difference in the lives of young children and that is what she loved doing. Her family was her greatest joy and she was extremely proud of each one of them. As long as she was able, you could find her at EELC almost daily loving and encouraging each child as they enjoyed the superb training they were receiving, and expressing her admiration and appreciation to each teacher for the work they were doing. This was truly her heart, and in 2019 she was thrilled when the new addition at EELC was named in her honor, “Stella's Tree House". This made her life complete.
We wish to thank all of our friends for their love and support. We especially want to thank the wonderful caregivers from PACE Lynchburg. Because of them, Stella has been able to remain at home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her honor be made to Stella's Scholarship Fund at EELC, 2320 Bedford Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24503, or to the charity of your choice.
The family wishes to celebrate Stella's life in the safest way possible during this time of COVID by having visitation and funeral services outside. The family will receive friends at EELC on the playground from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., on Tuesday, August 11, 2020 and at other times at the home. The funeral will be held 11 a.m., Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at Hebron Baptist Church, 7533 Stonewall Road, Concord 24538 (PO Box 871) outside at the pavilion. There will also be an option for those who wish to attend and remain in the car while listening to the service via radio. The Rev. Sammy Gunter will officiate the service.
Robinson Funeral Home and Cremation Service is serving the family. An online condolence may be sent by visiting www.robinsonfuneral.com