Tonna Denning

Tonna Denning was born, 3 weeks premature, on April 14th, 1965.  She was the third child of Richard Pratt Denning, an iron worker and welder by trade, and Charlain Drennen Denning, a professional psychologist.  She had two older brothers and over the next few years in a continuing attempt to give her a sister, 5 more brothers came along for a total of 7.

With all those boys she was very competitive in everything, constantly doing her best to keep up.  Sometimes driving her body beyond its capacity.  

At age 2, to keep up with her older brothers, she jumped off the baby grand piano and broke her toe.

At approximately age 7 or 8, she broke her wrist swinging on the rope.  

At about age 9, trying to keep up with her younger brother, she tried to do an acrobatic move on the bars at the playground at school and broke her shoulder. 

She had a great joy of life and considered participating in family activities the main thing to live for.  As a young child, she enjoyed sports very much, including playing field hockey with her two older brothers.  They didn’t want her in their games at that time because she was so wild with the hockey stick.  It was actually a golf club she was using.  Some of the scars still remain.  

She excelled in grade school and got excellent grades and was considered very intelligent and mature for her age.  She befriended the unfriended kids.  There was a girl with glasses who was picked on.  Tonna would walk her home and keep her safe.  

She learned the piano at a young age and could play anything just by sight-reading from a page.  It was also discovered that she had perfect pitch at about age 5 or 6.  

As a child, she was an avid reader of the scriptures and took what she learned to heart.  She was always wanting to compare her life with the lives of those in the Book of Mormon and other scriptures to see any parallel and to improve herself spiritually.  

She endured a few tragedies, with the death of her mother when she was 13 years old in 1978 and her father when she was 39 years old in 2004.  She adored her parents and her brothers very much and wanted to be part of most everything.  She was the only one present when her mother passed away from cancer in the back seat of the car on the way home from seeing a doctor.  She remembered the time and date for the rest of her life.  During her mother’s illness, she was at her side caring for her in any way she could.  This was quite something at age 11 to 13.  She always did her best to protect and safeguard her family, even if they sometimes weren’t able to do the same for her.  

By the tender age of 17, she was on her own, having moved out of the house at that time.  She got a job and began making good money.  

Tonna spent many years of her life helping family and others and considered that her greatest joy.  She sincerely wanted to help and care for those in her family including lots of nieces and nephews and in laws and did all she could for others as well.  She nursed the sick and took care of the elderly, all as an unpaid volunteer.  She often seemed far more concerned with the welfare of others, than herself.   

She spent 15 years volunteering for a charitable organization.

Her chosen career was retail sales, but not in-store.  She made a good living going door to door and by telemarketing and phone sales and traveled around the country doing sales shows for many years.  

Tonna was very opinionated, which sometimes got her in trouble.  However, everything she did was motivated by an intense love and a strong desire to help, to protect and to be of service to others. 

Even when she had very little, she was willing to give to others and ensure their needs were met and to help make them happy.  

She is survived by brothers R. Quin Denning (Linda), Tim M. Denning (Chelsea), Kellan T. Denning, Shawn P. Denning (Maxime), D. Kip Denning (Lauren), Kenyon L. Denning, Marlin P. Denning (Melissa), sister Sarah Boud (Dave), many nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.  

She is predeceased by her father, Richard Pratt Denning and Mother, Charlain Drennen Denning.

Funeral services will be held Friday, February 23, at 12:00 noon at the Highland Park 3rd Ward, 11543 S. Keystone Dr. in South Jordan. There will be a viewing at the church starting one hour prior to the services.

Tonna's funeral will be live-streamed:

Time: Feb 23, 2024 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

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https://zoom.us/j/98105468993?pwd=dHdveDA1dS9pVXp1Z0grZDZHblAwdz09

Meeting ID: 981 0546 8993

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