Miles Reed Tenney

Miles Reed Tenney passed away on 30 November 2009. He was born on August 15, 1930 to Nora Allen and Helaman Pratt Tenney in Lebanon, Arizona, the third of four boys, and grew up in Thatcher, Arizona. His father was a cotton farmer and from an early age he could be found in the fields weeding, watering and thinning the crops. He had a love of the soil and for most of his adult years raised amazing gardens.
As a young boy he started a button collection and, thanks to an uncle who travelled extensively, was able to add regularly to his collection from all over the United States and several foreign countries. A good friend taught him the art of leather tooling which he perfected. Many family members and friends received gifts of wallets, belts, photo album covers, purse and book ends which were highly prized. His Boy Scout troop was turned into an air scout troop with the return of several ward members who were in the Air Force during WWII. In high school he played on the basketball team.
He attended two years of school at Eastern Arizona the local junior college, after which Miles served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the southern states. Both years of his mission he was privileged to play the saxophone with the mission orchestra that played for all the Gold & Green Balls and numerous community functions. Miles was blessed with a good musical ear and musical talent. In addition to playing the saxophone, he had a beautiful bass voice and sang in his high school choir and years later was a member of the Mormonaires, a premier singing group in Boise, Idaho.
Following his mission he enrolled at BYU where he met his wife, Barbara. They were married September 17, 1953 in the St. George Temple. Upon graduation he received greetings from his draft board and spent two years in the US Army. He received basic training at Ford Ord California and then was stationed in Germany. His working years were spent in agriculture beginning with a Grade A Dairy, owned and operated by his family in Meridian, Idaho. Later he worked for US Steel in their fertilizer division, followed by many years in every aspect of the potato industry. He was associated with Idaho Supreme in Shelley, Idaho, Wyoming Potato in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming and Winnemucca Potato in Winnemucca, Nevada.
Miles was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints and held many callings; bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, stake clerk, high council, YM President and most recently ward historian. After retirement he and his wife served 3 missionsa€" Ghana, Accra Africa Mission, Maryland Baltimore Mission and Australia Perth Mission.
He was the father of six children a€" Debra Davis (Daren) of Orem, Utah; Curtis (LaRae) of St Louis, Missouri; Brian (Mandy) St George, Utah; Lisa Murphy, Elko, Nevada; Gina (Ron) Griffith, South Jordan, Utah; Wade (Olesya) St. George, Utah, 17 grandchildren and 9 great- grandchildren. Survived by brother Roy Tenney (Joan) of Provo, Utah and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Morgan and Wayne.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 5, 11:00 a.m. at the Pine View Stake Center, 595 North 2450 East. Visitation will be held Friday, December 4, at the Pine View Stake Center from 6-8:00 p.m. and also the morning of the service 10:00-10:45 a.m. Interment St. George Cemetery, 700 East Tabernacle Street, St. George. You may share condolences with the family at www.serenicare.com.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the LDS Humanitarian Fund or the Perpetual Education Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our thanks to the many wonderful doctors, nurses and hospice care nurses who cared for Miles.