Diane Tate Blanda

Our beloved wife, mother, grandma, sister and friend, Diane Tate Blanda passed away May 11, 2022, in Lihue, Kauai from complications arising from neuroendocrine cancer. A strongwoman, who loved her family, she was willing to overlook the discomforts of her cancer in order to spend time with her family on vacation and create lasting, loving memories with them prior to her passing.

Born Nancy Diane Tate to Darrell A. and June Roberts Tate on March 16, 1953, she spent her childhood in a close-knit family living in Granger, Utah and graduated from Granger High School in 1971. She was a manager of the Apparel department of Grand Central when she met the love of her life, Jim Blanda. They were married on May 8, 1975 and spent their early married years living in Reno, NV. They returned to Utah in 1977 and Jim opened a furniture store in Sandy, Utah, where Diane supported him throughout the years in that enterprise, as a secretary and buyer. The store, Vintage Oak Furniture, is still in operation today and is still an important part of the Blanda family.

In addition to starting a business, they also started their family in 1977. It is as a mother that many of Diane’s talents shone, particularly her ability to have fun and create lasting memories. She was lighthearted and fun, spontaneously singing and dancing along to music, equally laughing or cracking a joke, and had a big way of celebrating, including stuffed-animal monkeys and banana’s hanging from trees in the backyard for luaus at home, Pinatas and sombreros for fiestas, and themed soundtrack music playing in the background. Diane loved holidays and spent a lot of time and attention decorating her home. There were many a Christmas in which operating the microwave would blow a fuse due to all the Christmas trees and Christmas lights aglow in the home. She always dressed up for Halloween and has a storage closet bursting with Halloween costumes in all size ranges. It was a Halloween tradition to go to grandma’s house and pick out 1, or 2, or 3 costumes for that year.

Diane loved nature and the outdoors. She was an expert gardener, and her yard reflects her expansive knowledge of plants and her love of creating beautiful garden spaces that would have something interesting to look at no matter the season. She was also a bird watcher and animal lover. We had many different pets, including the usual dogs, fish and birds, but also a ground squirrel that lived in a rock garden in our front yard and was trained to come to the front porch whenever it heard the distinctive crinkling of the plastic peanut bag in our pantry. She also loved camping and fishing and being out in nature. It was one of her life’s dreams realized in 2014 when she and Jim bought a rustic cabin near Gooseberry Reservoir. She loved spending time with family at the cabin. She was also a very creative person who painted with oil paints, made floral arrangements, crocheted, and painted T-shirts with tri-chem paints. She also was a very sentimental person who loved her family and family history. She spent years converting old family videos and scanning photos to make DVDs of family history and made scrapbooks of each of her grandkids.

Diane was also an incredibly generous person. She would give of her time to help family with grocery shopping, tending grandkids or running errands. She loved to shop and if she found something she liked she would often purchase a quantity sufficient to give one to family members too. Whenever she was made aware of a need or a charity, she would do what she could to contribute. She was supportive, kind and committed, one of the ways she showed her love was to give of her time and attention.

Diane is survived by her husband, Jim (Sandy, UT); daughter Jamie (Erick) Hanson (Sandy, UT); daughter Jill (Stan) Larson (Highland, UT); son Jeff (Jen) Blanda (Sandy, UT); Grandchildren, Hunter Hanson, Fisher Hanson, Lily Hanson, Aynsley Blanda, Adalynn Blanda, Adrielle Blanda, Amara Blanda, and Esther Larson. Also survived by her brother Larry (Ronni) Tate, sister Colleen (Clyde) Pratt, brother Kent (Sharon) Tate and sister Rosie Taylor.
Preceded in death by her parents, Darrel A. Tate and June R. Tate, brother Darrin Tate, grandkids Brady Larson and Summer Larson.

Funeral Services will be held at Larkin Sunset Gardens, located at 1950 E Dimple Dell Road, Sandy, Utah on Monday May 23, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held at Larkin Sunset Gardens on Sunday May 22, 2022 from 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. as well as from 9:30 a.m.- 10:40 a.m. on the day of the services.

The family wishes to sincerely thank caregivers and staff at St Marks Hospital, Utah Cancer specialists and Wilcox Medical in Lihue, Kauai for their kind service and care to mom.

To watch the recorded funeral services, please click on the blue "Watch Services" box above.