Events
Celebration of Tamara's Life
Pepperwood chapel located at 2195 E Pepperwood Dr, Sandy, UT 84092Saturday Apr 12, 2025 11:00 AM
Listen to Obituary
Tamara Melinda Mitchell Masters, age 65, of Sandy, Utah, passed away on March 27, 2025 after a two- year fight with pancreatic cancer.
Tamara was born on May 31, 1959 to William Jefferson Mitchell and NetaFae Atwood in Salem, Oregon.
She grew up in Salem and Beaverton with her loving parents, older sisters Debbie, Leta, and Lynnette, younger brother Bill, and younger sister Kimberly. As a young girl, she was full of energy, enjoying dancing, singing, whistling, and riding her bike. She would play with GI Joes and cars with her brother and eagerly follow around her older sisters. Some of her fondest childhood memories were at her grandparents' dairy barn, where she built hay forts, swung from ropes, and jumped into loose hay. At just six years old, she took on her first job, picking berries earning $5 per day—a task made fun through the “berry fights” with her siblings, followed by water fights at home. She valued her relationships with her kind and caring siblings throughout her life enjoying birthday lunches and regular messages and calls.
As she grew older, Tamara's passion for learning and creativity flourished. She had many hobbies and talents, including singing, and playing the piano, guitar, ukulele, and violin. She also enjoyed riding bikes, swimming, golfing, water skiing, alpine skiing, playing pickleball, drawing, reading, and spending time outdoors. More than anything, she loved sharing these joys with her husband, Mike and their growing family.
Tamara excelled professionally, earning a BS in Nursing, an MBA, and a PhD in Marketing. She thrived as a critical care nurse and passionately spoke of adrenaline sharpening her mind during a “good code.” In the business world, she worked first as an analyst then as a marketing director, where she enjoyed dissecting problems and developing solutions with her team. After earning her PhD at the age of 52 and transitioning to academia, she found deep fulfillment as a professor and researcher. Teaching and mentoring her students enriched her life, and she earned many rewards for her dedicated mentorship and academic contributions.
Tamara had a strong belief in Heavenly Father and Mother and the power of music to touch hearts. She was called as a primary “music lady” at age 16. She held many other callings in the Church and helped in many ways, but she felt her most fulfilling role was as a music lady (which she returned to many times). Through her loving instruction, she helped young hearts feel valued, loved, and strong. Tamara had a gift for understanding and responding to the needs of others.
Of all her accomplishments, Tamara considered being a wife and mother her most meaningful and, in her words, her “most favorite careers.” With her husband Mike, they raised four wonderful children— Danny (Amber), Matt (Bree), McKenzie (Troy), and Hope (Tyler)—teaching them to actively seek light, truth, and love. As grandma, or “Oma,” she loved playing, singing, swimming and chatting with Maxwell, Oliver, Emerald, Peridot, Ivy, Ethan, Opal, Lola, Archie, Heath, Arlo, and Reggie. She expressed her love openly and creatively with her husband, children, and grandchildren.
Tamara filled the world with light through her kindness, empathy, and love. Her example of faith, service, and personal growth will continue to inspire all who were blessed to know her. “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, I seek after these things.”
Service Information:
A celebration of Tamara's life will be held on Saturday, April 12 from 11:00 A.M. to noon in the Pepperwood chapel located at 2195 E Pepperwood Dr, Sandy, UT 84092. All are welcome to attend the celebration service, with a social gathering to follow in the building.
Guestbook/Condolences
Tamara was a wonderful friend, colleague, and co-author. I met her when she joined the Marketing PhD program, and I was a rookie faculty member. We started our journeys around the same time, and working with her on multiple research projects made that journey not just productive, but also enjoyable.
I’m heartbroken to hear about her passing. She brought so much more than just intelligence and curiosity to her work—she brought warmth, kindness, generosity, and a genuine sense of collaboration. Working with her was fun. She would always bring innovative solutions to the research projects. She was always an amazing instructor. She loved teaching and her students loved the courses she offered.
My heartfelt condolences to Mike, Danny, Matt, Mckenzie, Hope and her family. Tamara will be truly missed.
I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Tamara. I first met Tamara in 2014 when I was a doctoral student at the University of Utah, and even though she was already a professor at BYU at the time, she made a lasting impact on me. She had an incredible way of understanding exactly what a PhD student goes through—the doubts, the struggles, and the excitement of discovery. She was never too busy to offer a kind word, share her wisdom, or simply sit down for lunch or coffee and make you feel seen and supported.
Over the years, our relationship grew from mentor and friend to co-authors, and I was always in awe of her intellect, creativity, and the meticulous way she designed her experimental studies. She had a unique ability to ask the kind of research questions that made you rethink everything, and her work was always a testament to her brilliance.
Beyond academia, Tamara was simply a wonderful human being—kind, generous, and full of warmth. She made people feel valued, and her presence had a way of making any room brighter. Her loss is deeply felt, and my heart goes out to her family, friends, colleagues, and all those fortunate enough to have known her.
She will be deeply missed, but her impact—both as a scholar and as a person—will live on.
I met Tamara when she was a PhD student and presented her dissertation. I was impressed by the lengths she went to unobtrusively manipulating how much people consumed in a bite by swapping out silverware in a restaurant. Going to those lengths, demonstrated her thoughtfulness and determination.
Where I got to know her better over the years, was at the JDM Winter Symposium taking place annually in Snowbird. Tamara was the heart of that conference. She was excited to learn what others had to share in terms of research, but she also deeply cared about them having a good time in the outdoors, organizing snow showing adventures for the visitors.
I will always remember this last January at the conference when we discussed the very cute and colorful new Hershey's backpack she was sporting, that she wore, despite her clear illness, with unwavering positive spirits.
I will miss her physical presence but her spirit will be with me when returning to the mountains.
At family Christmas parties, where everyone was encouraged to share a talent, Tammy and my other sister-in-law Nancy let me join them in singing harmony on various songs over the years, despite how easily I could go off-key. Tammy was such a talented musician! She seemed to do everything exceptionally well and with a fun and generous spirit.
I can’t imagine a world without her in it, but one consolation is that she and Mike raised four wonderful children to carry on her legacy.
Sending my deepest condolences. Tamara was such a kind, caring, positive person - she lit up every room with her smile and will be deeply missed.
Dear Mike and Family,
We were deeply saddened to hear about Tamara's passing. She was an extraordinary person who left an incredible mark on all of us at BYU. As a marketing faculty member, she not only excelled in her field but also touched so many lives through her kindness, wisdom, and passion for teaching.
Tamara was more than a colleague; she was a true friend to all who had the privilege of working with her. Her positivity, dedication, and ability to inspire others made a lasting impact on everyone around her. The example she set, both personally and professionally, will continue to resonate with us.
Please know that our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time. Tamara will always be remembered for the amazing person she was, and her legacy will live on in the many lives she touched.
With deepest sympathy,
BYU Marketing & Supply Chain Department
One of the traits I admire most about Tamara was her caring nature. I always looked forward to seeing her (and Mike) at our annual conference in Snowbird, where I could be sure that she would greet me with a smile and ask about my family and my work. One year, we exchanged emails around Thanksgiving when she could have complained about the extra work that inevitably accompanies hosting a large dinner, but instead she made the inspiring comment: "I get to host Thanksgiving at my house each year and love the smells and double table of family. It is one of my favorite holidays for the good feelings it brings." Her optimism and enthusiasm for life, family, and research were contagious, and she will be missed! Your family is in our thoughts and prayers.
We worked together at FHP and became fast friends. I loved Tamara and treasured her friendship! I was surprised when I saw the obituary. I didn’t know she had been sick. She leaves behind a beautiful family.