- Date Of Birth: September 27, 1981
- Date Of Death: September 9, 2021
- State: Utah
On the Thursday morning of September 9th, 2021, our beautiful, bright and accomplished daughter, granddaughter and sister, Amy Naté Dearden, left her mortal home and entered paradise after a brief battle with cancer.
Naté was born in Provo, Utah, to Lynn Val and Natalie Rebecca D’Hulst Dearden on September 27th, 1981. She was the first of five beautiful children they would share. Naté was educated in Ogden City Public Schools and was a proud graduate of Ben Lomond High School where she excelled academically. Following her graduation, she enrolled at Utah State University where she was a member of the President’s Leadership Council. In the fall of 2002, Naté left the university to serve a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Omaha Nebraska Mission. After completing her mission service, she returned to USU, where she greatly enjoyed being an Aggie, and graduated in 2006.
She began her working career in Salt Lake City, Utah, at Utah Youth Village as a family advocate. This experience along with encouragement from her mother and other friends steered her towards applying to law schools. She entered Brigham Young University Law School in 2009 and graduated in 2011. Her career then took her to Arlington, Virginia, where she obtained a position in the District of Columbia Office of Education. Naté enjoyed her time in D.C. and made many wonderful friends, but her love of family eventually drew her back to Utah. In 2015, shortly after the death of her grandfather, she moved to Utah and began working as a special education law specialist for the state of Utah. She was currently working for the Utah State Board of Education as a Student and Family Rights Coordinator and in Student Support Services.
Naté was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, in addition to her missionary service, had served in the Relief Society and Young Women Organizations of the church. She was also currently serving on the Salt Lake Communication Council. Most importantly, she was a disciple of Jesus Christ and was a friend, in the truest sense of the word, to many.
Her interests were many and varied. Naté loved to travel and enjoyed many trips with family and friends both in the U.S.A. and Europe. She was a hiker and a runner. She loved cooking and trying new recipes. Naté was an avid reader and student of the gospel. She enjoyed live performances and art. She played the piano well and had dabbled in learning the acoustic guitar. Naté enjoyed spending time with family and encouraged them to join her adventures. She loved spoiling her niece and nephews. She developed a talent for making friends despite by nature being somewhat shy. Naté also, from a young age, showed a great concern for those who were underprivileged and in need and actively sought to serve those around her in many ways.
Naté is survived by a family that will greatly miss her. Those include her parents, her brothers Bryant (Amber) and Brendan, her sisters Maren Barrett (Scott) and Hayley Anderson (Chandler), and her grandparents, Marlene S. Dearden and Mary and Gary Flint. She is also survived by her niece and “girlfriend,” Eleanor Dearden, and three rambunctious nephews, Jack, Beau and Walt Barrett. Surviving also are many extended family members, including aunts, uncles and cousins, all of whom she truly loved. Naté is also survived by her boyfriend, Darin Teeples, whom she met this past year and loved.
She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Val J. Dearden, and her grandparents, Daniel I. and Linda D’Hulst.
The family would like to express deep appreciation to the staffs of McKay-Dee Hospital and the Utah Cancer Specialists for their care of Naté. They would also especially like to thank the Palliative Care Team of the hospital. Thanks to members of the Lorin Farr Stake and LF 3rd Ward for their support and to the Parley’s Single Adult Ward and Henefer Utah 1st Ward.
Finally, much gratitude is to be extended to the many friends of Naté who reached out with expressions of love in many forms in word and deed. You will never know how your acts of kindness and thoughts and prayers buoyed her and her family up during this challenging time.
