Mona Ellen Tanner

Mona Ellen Tanner, 74, passed away on September 28, 2025 in Houston, Texas. Mona was born in Queens, New York to Elaine and Richard Kaplan, also of New York, on March 5, 1951, and she moved to Texas with her parents and sister Andrea in the mid1960s. At the University of Texas in Austin, she majored in Psychology and developed a particular interest in child development. On a double date, she met her future husband, David, who was there with her roommate. Mona and David quickly figured out they liked each other better, and they later married in 1972. In 2022, they marked 50 years together.

After moving back to Houston with David in 1973, Mona worked with the Behavioral Ecology Research Team at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, where she managed the office and organized research data. She left the workforce in 1978 after her daughter, Dana, was born, but she later returned to work at Aero Service, a geophysical exploration company. She took time away again in 1985 when her son, Russell, was born.

A phone call to her friend Jeff Friedberg from Aero Service led to almost three decades at Friedberg Investment Management, a portfolio management company, where she headed up client services, ran the office, and attended research conferences. It was in her role in client services that she most thrived, befriending account holders by developing client relationships into personal relationships. She worked there until her retirement in 2018 after they merged with Brasada Capital Management.

A talented crafter and seamstress, Mona designed beautiful quilts, and sewed, knitted, embroidered, and macramé-ed for most of her life. Passionate about dogs, Mona loved attending dog shows and could instantly identify almost any breed. She was an indiscriminate dog-petter, stopping for show dogs and mutts alike. Later, she developed a love of birding as well.

Mona was a loving and generous person and a devoted wife and mother. She was particularly generous with her attention, turning an offhand conversation into a friendship. She adored her grandchildren, who are lucky to have grandma-made quilts for each of them.

She will be deeply missed by her husband David, children Dana (David) and Russell (Valerie), grandchildren Evangeline and Arden, sister Andrea (Woody), nephews Richard (Amy) and Mark (Kalie), and granddogs Poser and Brin.

The funeral will be held on Sunday, October 5 at 2:00 pm at the Emanu El Memorial Park, 8341 Bissonnet Street in Houston.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Houston Humane Society, https://www.houstonhumane.org/ Greyhound Pets of America, https://www.gpahouston.org/ or a charity of your choice.