Joseph Henry "Joe" Tanner

1931 - 2020

Tanner, Joseph Henry "Joe"
Nov 16, 1931 - Apr 1, 2020
Joseph Henry "Joe" Tanner was born November 16, 1931 in Newton, Mississippi to parents James Edward Tanner and Olivia Lewis Tanner of Newton. He passed away in his home in Sarasota, FL on April 1st, 2020.
Joe was an enthusiastic, energetic man always willing to help anyone. He loved life, his family, God, his church and Baseball. He was a devoted husband to his wife Jeannine, a loving father and active in the lives of his children and grandchildren.
Baseball was very important to Joe Tanner. He attended the University of Texas at Austin on a Baseball Scholarship, then went on to play professional baseball for the Red Sox and Dodgers. At the peak of his professional career, a back injury caused him to retire after nine years.
After retiring from pro baseball, Joe did not leave the sport he loved. He joined a semi-pro team out of Mississippi and earned MVP honors at the National Semi-Pro Tournament. He was 38 years old.
Joe earned many awards and honors in baseball. In college, he was selected to the 1st Team Southwest Conference as a shortstop, a 3rd Team All-American as a shortstop, and he also played in the College World Series.
After enjoying semi pro ball, Joe returned to professional Baseball as a coach working with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburg Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and the Baltimore Orioles. Joe Tanner coached in many roles. His main title was Roving Instructor. Joe had a passion for teaching bunting, baserunning, fielding and hitting. Former players always describe Joe as happy and willing to teach anyone interested in learning anytime.
Joe earned a degree in Business and Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. Though his degree was in Finance and his passion in Baseball, he was blessed with many talents. He worked as a carpenter, a stockbroker, a baseball player and eventually a very successful entrepreneur in baseball. Joe also proudly served in the US Army as an infantryman.
In 1993 while coaching for the White Sox in Sarasota, Joe designed a baseball training product he called the "Tanner Tee." His improved, durable batting tee product performed better than anything on the market, and professional hitters loved it. Joe began selling a few batting tees to pro baseball players in the early 90s and then eventually founded a small company that he and his wife Jeannine operated out of their home for many years. Joe's company, Tanner Tees, became a very popular product in the baseball and softball community, and his small garage-based company became a successful small business still operating in Sarasota today. With his own hands, Joe Tanner built and sold roughly 300k batting tees to players at every level of the game.
In 1949, Joe graduated from high school in Laurel, MS. In 1969 he married Jeannine Burkett of Laurel, MS. Along with the marriage came Jeannine's three teenagers. Joe instantly became a father. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Joe and Jeannine shared 50 wonderful years together! We will all miss him so very much.
Joe is survived by his wife, Jeannine Burkett Tanner, and 3 children: Karen H. Curtis, John T. Haynes, and Marilyn H. Menard. He has 7 grandchildren: Laurel C. Niles, Jaime Cornell, J.T. Haynes, Allana Davis, AJ Menard, Andrew Menard, and Colby Anspaugh. Joe has 11 great grandchildren.
We will all feel the deep loss of our beloved Joe. We thank God we had him these 88 years. He enriched the lives of each of us!