Lloyd Leslie Tanner

Lloyd Leslie “Bo” Tanner went to be with the Lord on Monday, February 1, 2021. He was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on February 23, 1938 to Nide and Ruby Tanner.

Bo loved to sing and often performed from a young age at parties, for civic groups, and later, television. After high school he joined the U.S. Air Force where he finished fourth in the “Tops in Blue” contest earning him an audition for the Ed Sullivan Show in New York City. He won and appeared on the show with eight other airmen. After serving in the military, he returned to Pine Bluff and married his high school sweetheart, Linda Gay List.

As much as he loved to sing, when Bo was asked in high school what he wanted to do in life he always told them he wanted to sell. In his early working years, he sold insurance in Pine Bluff for Jim McClellan, then he worked accounts for the family business, List Laundry and Dry Cleaners. In the early 70’s he went to work for Certified Labs out of Texas where he was in chemical sales. He then opened his own business in Pine Bluff, The American Chemical Company.

Bo was a man that loved life, singing, entertaining, and playing golf. Most of all though, Bo loved the Lord and his family. As a young family man, he was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he was most loved for his solos and for the many years that he taught the 10th grade Sunday school class. After retiring, he spent several years in The Villages in central Florida, but his last years were spent in Hot Springs Village in Arkansas with his wife Carolyn Vining-Tanner where he attended (and still sang solos at) the Woodlands Presbyterian Church.

Bo is preceded in death by his wife Linda Gay List Tanner, the mother of their children, his parents Nide Sebastian and Ruby Susan McWhorter Tanner, brothers Oran Ray “Hopper” and Carl George Tanner.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn Vining-Tanner, daughter Julie Price (Jeff) of Little Rock, daughter Leslie of Pine Bluff, son Richard Lloyd (Mollie) of Eagle Nest, New Mexico; his grandchildren Tanner Price, Becca Friare-Price (Max), Julia Gay Tanner, and Reagan List Tanner; his sister Ella Jo Abernathy; and many nieces and nephews.

A private graveside service will be held for immediate family. The service will be recorded and streamed on www.ralphrobinsonandson.com and on the Ralph Robinson and Son Facebook page. All current Covid-19 guidelines will be followed.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to St. Jude Research Hospital.