For most of his life, John Albert William Tanner was a man on the move.

He married his sweetheart in 1958 in their hometown of Portsmouth in southern England and boarded a ship later that year for Montreal, where he worked as a mechanical engineer.

He and his wife, Hazel, moved to Edmonton, Alberta. They came to Pittsburgh in 1967, a city they would leave twice, only to return.

During his time here, Mr. Tanner contributed to the community as a business executive, business owner, business mentor, reader to disabled children and soccer coach to hundreds of youngsters in Upper St. Clair who came to love the sport as he did.

Mr. Tanner, of Canonsburg, one of 10 children who grew up in hard times, and who rose to become a top executive with Swindell Dressler and other companies, died Wednesday of Alzheimer's disease. He was 72.

"He was the quintessential American success story," said his daughter, Sharon O'Reilly of Mt. Lebanon. "He rose from abject poverty and took hold of all the opportunities this country has to offer to make a better life for himself, his family and others."

Mr. Tanner, a graduate of Portsmouth Technical College, in the hometown of his beloved Portsmouth "Pompey" Football Club, a soccer team, joined Swindell Dressler, a company that specialized in metals and steels, when he came to Pittsburgh. He worked his way up to vice president.

He left in 1971 for Salt Lake City to become vice president and then president of Torkelson, a subsidiary of Swindell Dressler. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1976 as a senior vice president for Pullman Swindell, as the company was known then.

He was on the move again in 1981 when he went to London to head up the international division of Hill International Inc., an engineering and design company. While there, he worked on the design of the Chunnel, the railroad tunnel that runs under the English Channel between England and France.

Mr. Tanner and his family returned to Pittsburgh in 1985. He started his own company, Vibra-Tech of Pittsburgh, a vibration analysis engineering company. Several years later, he became president of LOI Inc., a subsidiary of a German company, LOI Thermprocess Inc. The company designed industrial furnaces for the steel and metals market.

He retired in 1999 -- but not really. He volunteered for SCORE -- the Service Corps of Retired Executives, an organization that mentors small-business owners on everything from organizing a business plan to financing and marketing.

As a member of RSVP -- Retired Senior Volunteer Program -- he read to disabled children and helped them with their class work.

"He was a very gentle teacher," Mrs. O'Reilly said. "He had the patience of Job."

In the late 1970s, Mr. Tanner, a former semiprofessional soccer player, helped to organize the Upper St. Clair Athletic Association. It introduced children to soccer.

"It's still going strong, and serves as a feeder program for the high school," said his son, Philip, of Upper St. Clair, a recreational player. "He was instrumental in my athletic development and that of many other kids. He passed on to us his competitive spirit and the need to remain active and healthy."

Mr. Tanner also was an avid golfer and had the opportunity to play the cratered topography of St. Andrews in Scotland.

In addition to his wife, daughter and son, he is survived by his mother, Doris Tanner of Portsmouth; a brother, Bob; sisters Doris, Leslie, Linda, Thelma and Winnie, all of Portsmouth, and Rosalind of London; and five grandchildren.

Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Beinhauers, 2828 Washington Road, Peters. A Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. John Capistran Church, 1610 McMillan Road, Upper St. Clair. Burial will be private.

The family suggests donations to the Alzheimer's Association of Western Pennsylvania, 100 W. Station Square Drive, Suite 500, Pittsburgh 15219.