Frances DeAnn Lucas

Frances DeAnn Lucas passed away peacefully at home on March 15, 2022, after a long battle with Type 2 diabetes. DeAnn was born on December 27, 1945 in Glendale, California to Gail Borden Lucas, Sr. and Anna Darlene Nordahl Lucas. She was the second of three children and the only daughter. DeAnn was raised in Downey, California with her brothers Gail Jr. and Vaughn and graduated from Earl Warren High School in 1963. In 1969, her son Shane was born. DeAnn worked hard to provide for him, and with the help of a supportive extended family, was able to succeed as a single mother. She entered the healthcare field, moved to Utah, eventually earned her nursing degree from Weber State University, and became a registered nurse. DeAnn worked at IHC dialysis clinics, several hospitals along the Wasatch Front, including Cottonwood, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah over her 30+ year nursing career. She enjoyed her vocation and loved being able to help others. Being a nurse was truly a calling for her and brought her a great deal of gratification.

In 1997, DeAnn found her new role in life as “Grandma DeeDee” following the birth of her first grandchild Brendan. Granddaughter Autumn and grandsons Sean and Kieran were born over the next 7 years. She loved being a grandma and enjoyed bragging about her grandkids. During the final year of her life, “great-grandpuppies” Winnie and Mico brought her happiness as well. Winnie was always ready to jump on her lap and give her “kisses”, which DeAnn loved. Other than her grandchildren, DeAnn’s joy in life was being a Utah Jazz fan. She had Jazz season tickets for over 20 years and served as president of the Utah Jazz Booster Club in the ’90’s. She and her aunts and cousins attended games together and went on numerous road trips to support the Jazz during the playoffs. As her grandchildren grew older, they went to Jazz games with her. DeAnn went to Jazz games until it became too physically difficult to attend and then cheering them on from home became her routine.

Growing up, DeAnn was surrounded by a large extended family in California and Utah. Family was always very important to her. She grew up with many cousins around her age and loved spending time with them and her Aunt Lorretta. Her family enjoyed spending time together, often visiting Disneyland, starting with its opening week in 1955. Those trips inspired a lifelong love of Disneyland and all things Disney, which she was eventually able to share with her grandchildren. Being at Disneyland was transformative for Grandma DeeDee; it was like she was a kid again, filled with excitement and energy. DeAnn also loved to read and express her creativity through crocheting, knitting, and cake decorating, often crafting unique gifts for friends and family.

DeAnn’s family would like to thank the staff at Liberty Dialysis in West Jordan for the years of great care they provided her.

The funeral service for Frances DeAnn Lucas will be on Monday, March 21, 2022 at 2 pm at Larkin Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, with a viewing before the service from 12:30 to 1:45 pm. The graveside service will be conducted at 3:30 pm at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 S. Highland Dr., Millcreek, Utah. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Sansum Diabetes Research Institute at sansum.org.

For those unable to attend the service in person, the family invites you to join via Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84605280304. A free Zoom account is required and you will need to log in to your account to join the service.