DeAnne "Dee" Smith Wood

DeAnne Smith Wood, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and the person so many turned to when they needed help, passed away peacefully on September 19, 2026, in Austin, Texas, surrounded by her family. She was 83 years old.

DeAnne was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 26, 1943, to Orville Beckstrand Smith and Dorothy Camilla Elizabeth Nielsen. She was proud to be from Utah and carried a lifelong love for its mountains. Some of her happiest memories were of trips to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and road trips with her son, Brent, and her parents. She especially loved the beauty of the mountains and watching the trees change colors in the fall when she lived near Big Cottonwood Canyon.

DeAnne attended East High School and later the University of Utah. She worked for more than 20 years as an accountant at Shoppe Heating and Air Conditioning, where she became close friends with many of her coworkers. She had a remarkable ability to connect with people, and friendships followed her throughout her life.

But DeAnne’s greatest accomplishment was being a mother.

To her son, Brent, she was the ultimate mother. She often worked multiple jobs and made countless sacrifices to provide for her family. She gave everything she had to the people she loved. She spent countless hours taking Brent to ski lessons, baseball games, and football games. She served on the booster club for his football team and volunteered countless hours as a football team mom. She didn’t simply attend her son’s activities—she was completely invested in his life.

And Brent wasn’t the only young person who felt her love.

DeAnne became a second mom to many of Brent’s friends. Her home was a place where they knew they could always come. There was always somewhere to hang out and, almost certainly, a stocked refrigerator. She welcomed his friends as if they were her own children, and many of them remained grateful for her love and friendship throughout their lives.

DeAnne was also the toughest person her family ever knew.

She faced significant physical challenges and adversity through much of her life, yet she continually found a way forward. She refused to let difficult circumstances define her. She fought through them with determination, resilience, and an attitude that focused on what could still be done rather than what could not. Her strength was not always loud, but it was extraordinary.

She was also a fixer.

If someone had a problem, DeAnne wanted to help solve it. She would work tirelessly to find an answer, make a phone call, track down the right person, or figure out a way to get something done. She knew an extraordinary number of people and somehow always seemed to know who to call or where to turn. Her ability to find solutions and help people was something her family and friends had never seen in anyone else.

That resourcefulness and determination were perhaps best demonstrated through the Secret Santa program she worked with for more than 20 years. DeAnne was passionate about helping families who were struggling during the holidays. She had an extraordinary ability to make things happen. She would seek out donations, persuade people and businesses to contribute, and even convinced her employer to match the donations she collected.

One year, she took her commitment to helping others a step further. She told Brent that their family was going to give up their own Christmas so that another family could have one. For DeAnne, generosity wasn’t something she talked about—it was something she lived. She believed that if you had the ability to help someone else, you should.

Her Secret Santa program brought moments of joy, comfort, and relief to countless families over the years. She never needed recognition for what she did. Helping people was simply part of who she was.

DeAnne’s greatest joys later in life were her two granddaughters, Grace and Vivian, whom she lovingly called her “grandarlings.” The name was uniquely hers, just as her love for them was. She adored her grandarlings and treasured the happiness they brought into her life.

DeAnne also knew how to enjoy life. She loved Motown music, and KC and the Sunshine Band was her favorite. She loved University of Utah football and proudly cheered for the Utes. She loved the mountains, the changing seasons, family road trips, music, and—most of all—the people she loved.

Above all, DeAnne had a deep and abiding love for God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Her faith was an important part of who she was and how she lived her life. She saw the beauty of the earth and the mountains she loved as evidence of God’s creations, and she was grateful for the world around her. Even near the end of her life, her faith remained strong. Among some of her final words were expressions of her testimony and love for God and Jesus Christ.

DeAnne was preceded in death by her parents, Orville and Dorothy Smith, and her brother, Dave Smith.

She is survived by her son, Brent, his wife, Summer, and her beloved grandarlings, Grace and Vivian, along with extended family members, lifelong friends, former coworkers, and countless people whose lives she touched.

For those who knew DeAnne, her legacy will not be found simply in the jobs she held or the places she lived. It will be found in the people she helped, the problems she solved, the families she supported, the children she welcomed into her home, the sacrifices she made for her family, and the love she gave so freely.

She was a mother who gave everything for her son, a grandmother who adored her grandarlings, a friend people could depend on, and a woman who somehow always found a way to make things better.

Her family will miss her strength, her determination, her generosity, her music, her love of the mountains and the Utes, and especially the knowledge that if something went wrong, Mom would figure it out.

DeAnne’s life was a gift to those who knew her. Her love, faith, resilience, generosity, and remarkable ability to help others will live on through the people she touched.

She will be deeply missed, forever loved, and never forgotten.

To view DeAnne's service online via Zoom, please click the tab above that says "Watch Services" or follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84602740271