Beth Ann Dearden

Beth Ann Thurgood Dearden, a resident of Wildwood in Provo Canyon, Utah, passed away on April 16, 2026. at the age of 87. She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 16, 1938. She is survived by her husband of sixty-six years, Marlin Dearden, as well as four children - Brad (wife Debbie), Kirk (wife Elisabeth), Julie (husband Danny), and Mark (wife Ali). She is also survived by fourteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. Beth was the youngest child, and is predeceased by her mother Olive Clark, and Father Melvin Thurgood – as well as her siblings Helen Hogan, Larue Bauman, and Dee Thurgood.

Beth was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and held various callings in many Wards and Branches. She was married in the Salt Lake City Temple, and she loved attending the temple. She maintained her faith in Heavenly Father and the Savior, and her commitment to living the gospel throughout her life. She served a full-time mission with her husband, Marlin, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 2002 to 2004.

Her formative years were spent living at “Hogel’s Farm” in Murray, UT. It was a place she cherished, where she ran through open fields and rode her beloved horse, Chipper. After Beth’s father passed away, her family moved to the Rose Park area of Salt Lake City where she graduated from West High School in 1956. She attended Quinnipiac College in Connecticut and completed a Master of Arts degree in Cross-Cultural Communication at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. She also ran in the New York City Marathon, which she was proud of, after years of running along the back roads of Woodbridge, Connecticut, with her friend, Lucy. She resided in several other places during her life, including Guatemala, Washington, Rhode Island, Maine, Michigan, and Ohio.

Beth worked at KUTV public broadcasting station at the University of Utah, as well as Yale-New Haven Hospital, and as a realtor in Woodbridge, Connecticut. She also founded the ‘Nanny Connection’, a business that joined nannies with the families that employed them.

But it was upon completion of her master’s degree and after mid-life, that she pursued her life’s work - providing opportunities to individuals and families in need, through ‘Worldlink Partners’, an organization she instituted, directed and co-directed. She volunteered her time and efforts to these causes for over 25 years to numerous communities and agencies in Guatemala and Nepal. She loved that work dearly. Her efforts with Worldlink and the many who have worked alongside her have benefited thousands of individuals in those communities. That work continues in her absence, but with her inspiration. She also received Mongolia’s highly-regarded ‘North Star’ award for her efforts with street children in Ulaanbaatar. And in Bharatpur, Nepal, the Beth Dearden Women’s Center stands as a lasting tribute to her service and commitment to uplifting others.

Beth cared deeply about nature and animals. She treasured the many dogs she cared for in her lifetime. She loved all forms of life, large and small - even stepping on an ant or swatting a fly was to be avoided. Whether hiking in the mountains, ambling through a forest, or lazing by the ocean, she was gratified in nature, and at peace. Unsurprisingly, some of her favorite songs were ‘Rocky Mountain High’ (by John Denver) and ‘What a Wonderful World’ (by Louis Armstrong).

Beth was extremely generous, always thinking of others before herself. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and dear friend. She loved life and lived it to the fullest. She will be greatly missed.

Beth requested that there be no funeral, but instead, a small gathering of immediate family and friends at a future date to remember and celebrate her life.

If you wish to honor Beth’s life, please do so by donating to her humanitarian work at the QR code for Worldlink Partners. One-hundred percent of your donation will go to help those in need in Guatemala and Nepal.

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