After a life of love and quiet grace, DeAnn Gillies of Richfield, UT has passed.
Some stories deserve to be told slowly. This is one of them.
DeAnn held deeply to the Latter-day Saints faith — and was, by all accounts, loved by those who knew her best.
Some find their compass in faith. DeAnn was among them.
DeAnn Gillies passed away peacefully in the early hours of April 29, 2026, after having family and friends by her side for much of the previous day. She was born April 7, 1938, in Escalante, Utah, to Lovell and Martha Twitchell, joining a family of yours, mine, and ours. She graduated from Escalante High School and then went on to become a telephone operator in Richfield, and then transferred to Grand Canyon, where she met and fell in love with William L. "Scrib" Gillies. They were married on November 18, 1961. She immediately became a mom to his two small children. They moved to Panguitch, where Scrib operated a service station and went on to add two more daughters of their own.
She loved her family, creating special moments for them, from elaborate picnics and special birthday dinners and desserts to whimsically wrapped Christmas presents. One of her specialties was making homemade bottled root beer. She loved to quilt and sew for her children, and to help her mother can food for the family. She loved and was very talented at various crafts.
She loved going to the temple, puzzles, root beer floats, Diet Coke, and rides down the River Lane and up to Panguitch Lake. As she aged, she loved following her children and grandchildren's adventures by watching her digital photo frame.
Later in life, DeAnn joined the staff of Panguitch Elementary as an aide, helping many young minds discover the joy of reading for twenty-three years. Her influence on their lives is still felt by many to this day. She loved those little ones as her own.
She had a true testimony of the gospel and served in numerous callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, putting her heart and soul into each one. She would spend hours creating elaborate handouts and presentations for her Young Women groups. She was a faithful minister her whole life, right up to the end. Her greatest joy was in service to others.
She never forgot her Escalante roots, returning as often as possible to visit family and friends.
DeAnn is survived by her children, Brad Gillies (Sandy), Jana Crist, Lori Beebe (Wade), Kimberly Stewart (Sean); her sister Joyce Tooman, her brother Craig Twitchell (Marilyn), 12 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, Lovell and Martha, her husband Scrib, grandson Joe Gillies, and son-in-law Bryan Crist; as well as brothers and sisters Alvin Twitchell, Nelda Munson, Curtiss Larsen, Lorena Langston, Beth Coleman Stott, and Arletta Clutter.
Graveside Services and Interment will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, May 9, 2026, in the Escalante Cemetery. A Viewing will be held from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on the evening before on Friday, May 8, 2026, at the Panguitch 2nd Ward Chapel at 176 N 400 E St, Panguitch. Funeral directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina, and Manti. An online guestbook can be found at www.maglebymortuary.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of DeAnn Gillies, please visit our flower store.
Magleby Mortuary has been entrusted with the arrangements.
