Francis Tanner lived his entire life in Big Piney, graduated from Big Piney High School, attended the University of Wyoming, and then attended the California College of Embalming.
He was an energetic person who contributed his time to the people of Sublette County and was very active in civic affairs and youth programs.
Francis owned and operated the Big Piney Mercantile Company from 1934 through 1964 and served as Sublette County Coroner and funeral director from 1933 until his death. He also operated a small ranch in the Boulder area.
In his early years, Mr. Tanner was acting doctor when this area was without one. He was an honest and forthright man who believed that to have a man trust you, you first had to trust him.
In 1965, he was appointed to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. As an expression of his feeling for this country and its people, he is quoted in the Wyoming Wildlife Publication as follows: "I want you to tell the complete Wyoming story. We have incomparable hunting and fishing, but even more important, we have the finest people in the world living here. They work hard and smile easily. I personally feel they should be mentioned from time to time in the magazine and you might someday write an editorial on their contributions."