Dean C. Jessee

Dean C. Jessee
August 29, 1929–December 31, 2025

Dean C. Jessee was born in Springville, Utah, on August 29, 1929 to Phillip Cornell and Minerva Boss Jessee, the oldest in a family of eight children. He passed away on December 31, 2025 at his home in Murray, Utah.

He attended public schools in Springville and graduated from Brigham Young University where he studied art and history. He served a mission with the first missionaries to go into West Germany after World War II. In 1953, he married Margaret June Wood, who had been living in Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada at the time. They became the parents of nine children: Lyle, David, Jeanine, Ronald, Teresa, Gordon, Merrill, Jonathan, and Douglas.

Dean taught in the Seminary program of the LDS Church Educational System in Salt Lake City. He was later employed in the Church Historian's Office organizing and cataloging manuscript records. When Leonard Arrington was called as Church Historian in 1972, he transferred to the History Division where he was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the Joseph Smith Papers and continued with the Division when it moved to BYU in 1982. A highlight of his career was serving as an editor of the Papers with the scholars who worked on the project.

Dean served in several positions in the Church on the general and local level, dealing primarily with historical research, family history, lesson writing, and teaching. He also served as president of the Mormon History Association and was a member of the Association for Documentary Editing. He has written several books and articles dealing with the 19th century Church and its people.

The pride and joy of his life has been his family. Home was a happy workshop. He enjoyed the outdoors with them from climbing mountains to visiting interesting places at home and abroad. He enjoyed gardening and the beauty of nature and pursued a lifelong interest in history and art. Painting with oils portraying the complexities of nature was always a fascination.

He was preceded in death by his wife June and youngest son Douglas. He is survived by his eight remaining children, Lyle (Tina Marie Huffaker), David (Roslen Patino), Jeanine Ballard (Ronald), Ronald (Barbara West), Teresa Cruz (Robert), Gordon (Sharon Williams), Merrill (Sherrie Marz), and Jonathan (Tamra Lynne Just). He was a proud and loving grandfather to 39 grandchildren and 81 great-grandchildren and 8 great-great-grandchildren.

A public viewing will be held on January 9, 2026 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, 4760 South State Street, Murray, Utah and at 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. the day of the funeral service which will on January 10, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the Chevy Chase Ward, 5235 South Wesley Road Murray, Utah. Interment: Elysian Burial Gardens, 1075 E 4580 S Salt Lake City, UT.

In lieu of flowers please make any donations to the LDS Church Humanitarian Fund. The family wishes to thank the loving services of Aspire Hospice.