Tara Warner

Tara Joyce Warner was born February 23, 1944 in Phoenix, Arizona to Max Henry Rhodes and LaFrieda Joyce (Scoggins) Rhodes. Tara passed away peacefully, after a long illness, on September 19, 2023 in Henderson, Nevada.

Tara was a 1961 graduate of West Phoenix High School. She briefly attended Northern Arizona College (later university) before leaving to join the workforce with the telephone company. On August 8, 1965 she married the love of her life, Richard Seth Warner, in Las Vegas, a union that held for over 58 years and produced three children—Rick, Mark, and Shannon.

Tara worked primarily in the travel industry, beginning in 1977 as a travel agent (after having experienced her first cruise), then moving to Northwest Airlines in 1986 to work as a reservations specialist. She continued with Delta after their merger with Northwest, eventually retiring following the events of 9/11. She was also proud to serve several years as a Volunteer on Patrol with the Cerritos, California Sheriff’s Department.

Tara and Richard especially enjoyed the dozens of cruises they took together, but other favorite vacations included a trip to the Cook Islands, a month-long tour through Europe, visits to Thailand, and a four-wheel tour of Costa Rica. Highlights from their several trips to Africa were Egypt and multiple wildlife safaris. She shared her love for traveling with her children as well, taking them on trips to Washington, D.C., China, Hong Kong, the Bahamas, and Hawaii. Although she preferred to plan and organize, both while traveling and day-to-day, she was comfortable being flexible as well—often traveling without reservations and utilizing only a guidebook or her intuition.

Tara greatly enjoyed watching her sons play Little League baseball, football, and soccer and attending her daughter’s gymnastics meets. In retirement, she never missed her grandsons’ baseball games, becoming well-known around the fields. She would also travel to Las Vegas to watch Faith’s Tae Kwon Do competitions when she was able. She was a fan of the Rams and Green Bay Packers, Dodgers, and watching the Olympics.

Tara began her own family in Phoenix before moving to Southern California, where she and Richard raised their three children to adulthood. The two lived in Cerritos continuously until 2021, when they relocated to a Henderson, Nevada retirement community.

In 2013, she received the gift of a kidney transplant that granted her family an extra ten years with her. The resilient energy and spirit with which she fought her battles against scoliosis, lung cancer, and the eventual failure of the transplanted kidney was a daily inspiration that we witnessed with awe. She will be greatly missed. Years from now, we will never forget the way that she made us feel loved, valued, and encouraged.

Tara was preceded in death by her brother Max “Dusty” Rhodes in 2021. She is survived and loved deeply by her husband Richard; her three children Richard, Mark, and Shannon; her daughter-in-law Juliet and son-in-law Dave; and her grandchildren Max, Seth, Shane, and Faith—nearly all of whom were able to be by her side during her transition. Tara requested cremation.

A drop-in Celebration of Life for Tara will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2023 from 1 to 4 pm at The Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802. Appetizers and drinks will be provided. A brief program and opportunity to share memories will begin at approximately 2 pm.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmboulderhighway.com for the Warner family.