Nathan Cheney

Nathan Tanner Cheney
January 23, 1999 – March 18, 2021
Layton, Utah

Our amazing, handsome, brilliant, tough fighter “Ninja Nate” chose to leave the darkness of his 5-year battle with mental illness in search of light and peace. He found that peace on Thursday, March 18th when he returned to his heavenly home, greeted by many dear loved ones gone before.

Nathan Tanner was born January 23rd, 1999 in Logan, Utah to Melissa McEuen and Samuel Dean Cheney. He was a younger brother to Alex and older brother to Cameron and McKenzie. He grew up in South Weber and Layton.

He earned many nicknames throughout his life. “Baby Tarzan” was one of the earliest, named such for his uncanny resemblance to the Disney character as well as his aptitude for climbing nearly any object in sight. Nater Patater had a lot of life to live in a short time, so he got movin’ and groovin’ early. He skipped crawling, walked for a few weeks, and was running by 9 months.

Life with Nathan was always an adventure. From a very young age, he kept us on our toes with all sorts of shenanigans. From giving his pet hamster a “bath” in a sippy cup (shaken, not stirred) to escaping every. single. carseat we could find (our little Houdini Cheney) to climbing a 60-foot tree as a 4-year-old, we could always count on our Nater Bug to keep life a bit heart-pounding.

His high intellect was evident at a very early age. He and his older brother could talk for hours (and believe us, they DID) about every kind of dinosaur that ever lived. Nate could pronounce names we’d never even heard of. He was obsessed with Legos and could spend hours building and creating. He LOVED the outdoors and could often be found out back in the sandbox, wearing only a diaper or superhero undies, digging and building.

Our ‘Nafie’ was stubborn, determined, and independent, insisting on doing nearly every task on his own. He had his own way of doing everything—he lived outside the box from the beginning. Nate had a keen sense of fairness and ‘rightness’ and was nicknamed our “resident policeman” for his regular attempts to enforce rules in our home.

Nate made school look easy. He was reading at a 12th grade level as a 2nd grader (and remained a voracious reader throughout his life), excelled in mathematics very early on, and was beyond fascinated with all things Science/Engineering related. He was part of Davis School District’s Spectrum program for Gifted and Talented elementary students and stood out as a very bright learner.

He went on to be part of the accelerated International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program at Syracuse Jr. High and NUAMES High School, earning many academic awards and competitions at school, state, and national levels. We are deeply grateful to all of his teachers along the way who saw his potential and encouraged Nate to strive for greatness.

There was always some sort of science experiment or project happening when Nathan was around. There were countless times when we worried and wondered what we would come home to due to his curious mind at work. We regularly walked out the door and only-half jokingly remarked, “Nate, don’t burn the house down!” His response was usually, “only the kitchen, mom.”

Everything came naturally to our Nathan Tanner. He was a VERY gifted artist in many mediums including sketched drawings, ornate origami creations, detailed Sharpie art (which is currently on display in his mom’s classroom for her students to enjoy), and 3D projects. He was fascinated with CAD design and was working on getting his SolidWorks Certification to work as a 3D model designer. He printed countless items on our 3D printer and enjoyed giving those creations as gifts.

Nathan excelled in martial arts and earned his black belt at 16 years old. He was focused and precise in this art form, just as he was with everything he did. Nate’s attention to detail and insistence on perfection stood out. Nate enjoyed many years of scouting, especially with his dad. He was a few merit badges and a project away from being an Eagle Scout, a fact he always lamented. He was also involved with the Order of the Arrow scout group honoring Native American traditions and values.

He loved making and eating sushi with his girlfriend and family, he became a master vape juice maker (his room was essentially a chemistry lab), and he spent hours on Reddit reading and collecting “dank” memes. He owned an impressive collection of leather jackets and loved ‘thrifting’ with his big brother. He loved camping and being in the woods. He was obsessed with music and had an incredibly diverse taste in music. A quick scroll through his Spotify playlists reveals everything from Broadway musicals to heavy metal.

Our sweet boy had the most beautiful smile. The MOST beautiful smile. He lit up the room with his cheery greeting and infectious laugh. His infamous “rib-crusher” Nate hugs will be missed the most. He always made sure to say “I love you” before leaving or ending a text conversation. He loved fiercely and was so passionate about everything he did. He put his whole heart into every project he undertook.

The last 5 years of his life were marked with many trips to the hospital, medications, treatment centers, and therapy sessions for his mental health issues. Through it all, he fought valiantly against the demons that came at him relentlessly. He endured so many hours of pain and heartache trying to fight his way to the light. He hid his pain behind that perfect smile and those beautiful eyes. He didn’t allow many people to see the deep reservoir of pain that lay just beneath the surface.

Nathan said once that if he ever left this life on his terms, he would want people to remember the way he lived, not how he died. We want those who knew Nate to think of the strong, energetic, amazing man he was and how he fought so hard against an invisible disease that is so misunderstood and stigmatized. Remember the beauty, not the tragedy.

Nate was deeply loved and will be deeply missed by his parents Sam and Melissa, siblings Alex, Cameron, and McKenzie, girlfriend Arianna Jacobsen, grandparents Bryce and Cheryl McEuen and Crystal and Terry Larson, aunts and uncles Don (Scarlett) Cheney, Ben (Daci) Cheney, Lynette (Brian) Perkins, Wayne (Kelly) Cheney, Chris (Allison) Cheney, Sherri (Tom) Wiltbank, Monica (Grant) Dickinson, Mary (Scott) Darnell, Lauren (Bryan) McDaniel, Meagan (Tyrel) Reynolds, and many loving cousins.  Preceded in death by his grandfather, Danny Cheney.

Nathan’s life has changed ours for the better. He brought fierce love, laughter, brilliance, and passion to our world. His death has saddened us beyond measure but has also reminded us that life is short and we need to love each other every day like we don’t have any more tomorrows. In honor of Nathan’s life and battle against mental illness, we encourage everyone to reach out and love those who struggle. Ask the hard & direct questions. Love them fiercely without judgment. Be there to listen. If you don’t know much about mental illness, start today.

We love you forever, Nater Bug. YOU’LL BE IN OUR HEARTS…ALWAYS.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road.  Friends may visit family Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary. Services will be live-streamed by scrolling to the bottom of this obituary page.

Order Videos