Dee Merlin Stevens

DEE MERLIN STEVENS

11/3/1950 - 5/22/2026

"The pain of grief is just as much part of life as the joy of love: it is perhaps the price we pay for love, the cost of commitment."

- Colin Murray Parkes

The entirety of mortal life was never meant to be adequately contained in words, but in death, words are all we have left. 

Dee Merlin Stevens entered this world on November 3rd, 1950, into the arms of a wonderful mother. He was born with a different name, one which changed around 2 years old when his adoptive father married his mother and gave him the name he would carry with honor for the rest of his life. 

His childhood was spent running the open lands of rural Utah, causing just enough mischief to meet the criteria of a well-rounded American upbringing. He was a proud alumnus of Orem High School, so proud, in fact, that even just a few weeks ago, he caused an uproar at his retirement community upon discovering a neighbor who had also attended Orem High, and together, they belted the Orem High Fight Song for everyone to hear over their chicken pot pies. 

Dee had plans to serve as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ, but before that, he was given the opportunity to travel to New York State and participate in the Hill Cumorah Pageant for a few months. He loved the experience so much that when he submitted his paperwork for missionary service, he prayed and prayed for the chance to return to that same area. And, sure enough, he found himself called to serve in the New York Cumorah Mission shortly thereafter. The principles, convictions, and work ethic he developed during his missionary service would prove to be the foundation blocks upon which he would build for the rest of his life. 

Upon completing his missionary service, Dee looked forward to his university studies with plans of becoming a school teacher. Before he could even begin, his father was killed. The man who stepped into Dee’s life in his most early and tender years—the man who gave Dee his family name—was gone in an instant. How Dee has longed for a reunion with his father. 

Eventually, Dee would marry and have four children—a daughter and three boys. Dee’s daughter—Keri Lyn— battled illness and trauma for her short 10 years on earth before passing. During that time, Dee had made the difficult decision to step away from his schooling and seek full-time employment, which he found in the grocery business. 

This was not the only transformation Dee would encounter during this time period. His first marriage ended and he found love and companionship with Kathy Metcalf, a woman with a backstory of her own and three young boys to boot. After getting married, they worried that their small home would feel too empty with only six boys, so they went ahead and had two more.

While the goal was always to return to school at some point and become a teacher, Dee's secret identity as an industrious mastermind had quickly launched his career into management levels, and he spent years transferring from one declining grocery store to the next, bringing them back from certain failure. While he longed for teaching, the grocery business was a perfect place for a man who took pride in everything he did and worked tirelessly to do his absolute best.

As a follower of Christ, Dee had a unique view of those seemingly on the fringes of his world. On the grumpy back-fence neighbor nobody else would talk to or the scary-looking guy living down the block in the whitest, most Mormon neighborhood in America. Whether he knew it or not, one of his superpowers was to never one-dimensionalize another individual. He could always see the depth and divinity in everyone. It’s a good thing he never figured out how to use social media. 

A man of this type cannot be forged in the faint flicker of ease and prosperity, however, and Dee—at age 50— was about to face his biggest challenge yet: polycystic kidney disease. 

His kidneys turned on him. They died. And they tried their best to drag Dee down with them, but they did not know the man against whom they conspired.  

This inner revolt nearly claimed his life, but after months and months of dialysis and eventually a new kidney, Dee set his sights on a future he long ago dreamed of. 

And so it was, within a couple of years, Dee rose like a phoenix from the ashes to become a Middle School Social Studies Teacher. For nearly a decade, he bestowed his age-old knowledge upon many students, fulfilling a profound and sacred calling that had stirred within him for as long as he could remember.

But the mortal vessel is a temporary host, and it gives out long before the soul is ready. Only this time, it was not Dee’s, but that of his beloved Kathy, purveyor of chocolate cake and patron saint of selflessness. She crossed back into the realm of abundance and light only three years ago. 

Since that time, Dee committed his powers to discovering and serving his ancestors until his body could no longer contain the light he had gathered. 

And so–like a steady ship in the storm-tossed seas— Dee Merlin Stevens crossed to the other side from whence he came, undoubtedly greeted with fanfare and love from those who have been forever changed by his insatiable drive for right.

Funeral Services for Dee will be held on Friday, June 5, 2026 at 11:00 am in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel located at, 225 East 200 North Orem, Utah. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Friday morning from 9:30-10:30 am prior to service at the church. 

“She is not gone. She is ahead. I intend to catch up.”

He caught up. May 22, 2026.
 

POSTERITY OF DEE & KATHY STEVENS
 

Keri Lyn Stevens

Travis Isaacson & Krista

Caleb & A'bri

Ryker

Shaustia & Cole

Lane

Isaac

Walker

Elora (deceased)

Noah

Hannah

Jared Isaacson (deceased) & Allyson

Jessica & Jennings

Waylon

Corinn

Darren

Lewis

Hailey

Brynn

Carter

Michael Stevens & Jamie

Oliver

Gianna

Daniel Stevens & Jolyn

Dylan

Shaylyn

Lucas

Haley

David Stevens

Ben Isaacson (deceased) & Crystal

Skyler

Adam Stevens & Nicole

Aiden

Tyler

Adyson

Weston

Mckay Stevens & Mary

Duncan

Shepherd

Charlie
 

9 Children  ·  7 Daughters-in-law  ·  27 Grandchildren  ·  4 Great-Grandchildren

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