DeeAnn Nelson Richins

She was our Sunshine

DeeAnn Nelson Richins of Syracuse Utah, softly, peacefully left us on Nov. 4, 2025. She had her 85th birthday on May 2, 2025! In 1940 she was born to Earl Ray Nelson and Thelma Yaussi Nelson in Lewiston, Idaho. She had one sister, Bette Lynn Green, who she cherished so much. She said she had a very happy childhood.

She was married to “the love of my life” (as she called him) Jerry W. Richins for 57 years. He kept her life full. Full of laughs, fun and adventures. She loved her Richins in law family! She had a lot of good memories with them. As newlyweds they lived in Ogden and later moved to California. They lived in California for 25 years and raised their family there. She had a daughter, Cindee Richins Bennett of Kaysville and a son, Ty Ray Richins of Syracuse, who preceded her in death in 2008.

She lived in Syracuse for many years. She attended and loved her Syracuse 4th ward and neighbors.

She had a deep love for both her Yaussi and Nelson family. She comes from a long line of strong, faithful women. On her Yaussi side, she loved her Swiss heritage and oh how she loved her Yaussi grandparents and her mother’s sisters. Her Aunts, Verla, Nathel and Orlene were more like bonus sisters to her! She had so many great memories with them throughout her life.

She loved her Nelson family too. She was especially close to her grandma Nelson. She spent summers on her ranch and loved every day spent there. She loved her many Nelson cousins and had a lot of happy memories of all their adventures together. She was true to her Nelson roots, keeping a love for farm animals. She loved the cows, loved the sheep, but the passion of her heart was, and always has been, the HORSES! She talked about asking for a horse for every birthday and Christmas since she was five years old. She was grateful and bursting with excitement when her dad finally bought her a horse as a teenager! Some of her favorite times in her life were when she was riding a horse! Bareback or saddle, it didn’t matter, she experienced pure JOY! Hoping she is bare back riding a horse right now. Especially if it’s a shiny black Arabian with white markings on its face. If so, she would have the deepest, most cherished desire of her heart.

Some of the things in her life she loved where:
Her many friends, activities and clubs at dear old Davis High School
Her jobs as a dental assistant and a school cook
Dogs
Camping
Collecting cows, tea cups, antique dishes, horse items, tiny figurines and so, so many more collections 
Music 
Jewelry 
New clothes
Serving others 
QVC channel and all other shopping
Chocolate anything
Traveling
Reading books
Diet Coke
Playing cards
Sassy red hair
WW Wrestling
Going for a canyon ride
Watching a movie and having popcorn
Laughing
Her family
Decorating for all the holidays
And so many more things, hard to name them all!

She has several grandchildren and a gang of great grandchildren, plus so many others NOT related to her at all, that called her grandma! She loved her family more than anything in life. They all meant the world to her. She was a best friend as a mother. A much loved and cherished grandmother. She has so many friends and relatives that loved her. She will be missed by many. She leaves a legacy of love and generosity. Her deep testimony of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints gave her the hope and courage to endure to the end, keeping a bright faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We want to thank all of the selfless, amazing people who cared for my mother during the last year. Davis Holy Cross Hospital, ICU, ER and staff. Fairfield rehab and staff, Thatcher Brooke rehab and staff and Atlas Home care and hospice and staff.

But The HUGEST, most heartfelt THANK YOU is to our dear Whisper Cove Assisted living facility and staff family. The director, Kimmy always went above and beyond to make sure everything was taken care of for my mother. Kimmy blessed our lives with her service so much. We Love her. Landon, her nurse there, always went the extra mile for us and her. His tender care and friendship meant the world to us. Every CNA, med tech, kitchen staff- honestly, EVERY staff member we had contact with cared for her in a compassionate, loving way. The many residents she called friends, our family thanks all of you more than we can say.

She truly was and will always be our sunshine.

Funeral services will be held Monday November 17, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N/ Fairfield Rd., Layton, Utah. Family and friends may visit Sunday November 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Monday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary.

Interment will be held at Lindquist’s Memorial Park at Layton.

The funeral service will be live-streamed and may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of DeeAnn's obituary page at www.lindquistmortuary.com

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