Renee Lanphere Roner

She was born in California on April 2, 1952. She was adopted by her parents Forest (Buck) and Geraldine Marshall Lanphere on May 31, 1952. They moved to Utah as soon as the adoption was complete. Renée attended Kearns High School before receiving a degree in English Literature from the University of Utah. She later went back to school and became a special education teacher. She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Grand Canyon University, and in 2019 surprised her family by announcing that she had earned a Doctorate from Michigan State University.

Renée taught special education in Granite District for twenty years in both self-contained and resource classrooms. She blessed many children with her love and passion for them and her belief that every child can learn. She loved her students with all of her heart.

She was also an accomplished musician with a beautiful singing voice and was a talented pianist. She taught piano for many years and enriched the lives of many children who learned the skill of playing the piano from her, including her own children.

Renée met her husband, Kenneth Gösta Ronér in 1976 at church. She always joked that he never actually proposed to her, so she wasn’t sure how they ended up getting married. They were married on July 15, 1977 in the Salt Lake Temple. They had four children, one of whom died in infancy. She was very proud of her children and would list their accomplishments to anyone who would listen.

Though she loved teaching, music, and her children, Renée’s favorite role was that as a grandparent. She treasured her time with her grand-daughters and loved being their mormor, never failing to tell them how much she loved them.

She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served in many capacities over the years, including a full-time mission in the Quebec Montreal Mission. She found the church as a five-year-old, and she often retold the story of following other children to primary after kindergarten one day. As she walked in and heard the song “I Think When I Read That Sweet Story of Old,” she knew that she was in the right place. Her testimony was a gift and she worked to pass that on to her family.

Renée will always be remembered for her diligence in quietly serving. She donated hundreds of hand crocheted afghans to those who were mourning, but always wanted to do it anonymously.

In her own words, “My philosophy of life is an easy one: it is the hymn I can never sing. ‘Because I Have Been Given Much I Too Must Give.’ We are sent here to help our eternal brothers and sisters in their time of need or confusion or sadness. I am a staunch believer in the parable of the talents. Our purpose in life is to take whatever talents and gifts we have been given and develop them as much as we possibly can. Then we use those gifts and talents to bless and help those around us. Our lives should be ‘outward oriented’ not egocentrically oriented. When we lose ourselves in helping others, both the giver and the receiver are blessed. Our talents aren't pretty boxes sitting on a shelf that we take down once in a while and look at. Those gifts are not given to us for our pleasure, but for the help they can offer other people. I have always told my children: Love is a verb.” Her children learned how to serve, love others, and to fight for the underdog from her. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her.

She is survived by her husband of 46 years, Kenneth Ronér, their children Jessica (Gordon) Hayes, Erika (Thad) Messenger, and Zachary Ronér. She is also survived by her three beloved grand-daughters, Annalise, Emmaline, and Gwendolyn Hayes. They were the light of her life. She was preceded in death by her son Andrew, her parents, and many aunts and uncles.

The viewing is Monday, March 11 from 6:00-8:00 PM at Valley View Memorial Park located at 4335 West 4100 South, West Valley City, UT; and the funeral is Tuesday, March 12 at 12:00 PM with a viewing one hour prior at Hunter 2nd Ward located at 3970 South 5200 West, West Valley City UT.