TARNER, Evelyn Fern

Evelyn Fern Tarner (née Barto) (1912–2002) was an American composer and hymn writer. Born in Winn Parish, Louisiana, she later lived in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Charles Albert Tarner. Tarner wrote both words and music for Christian hymns and sacred songs, with works appearing in American hymnals from at least the 1950s onward. Her best-known work is Rejoice in the Lord Always (1967), a setting of Philippians 4:4 for which she wrote both text and music. Her other compositions and hymn texts include Praise the Lord, Sunshine Recipe, Wedding Prayer, Let Jesus Come In, and Dedication Song for Infants. Although little biographical information about her musical training or career has been documented, her published works establish her activity as a mid-20th-century American sacred-music composer.