Margaret Anne Elmore Dansie

Our beloved Margaret Anne Elmore Dansie, a devoted wife, loving mother, cherished grandmother, daughter, and friend, returned to her Heavenly Father on December 8, 2024, in Riverton, Utah, after spending a joyful Thanksgiving surrounded by her entire family.

Margaret was born on April 16, 1945, in Syracuse, New York, to Ward Stanley Elmore and Bertha Mae Cramer. She was raised on a dairy farm in upstate New York with strong values of faith, hard work, and kindness—principles that guided her throughout her life. Determined and diligent, she put herself through college, earning her degree as a Registered Nurse. After joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she moved to Utah in hopes of finding her eternal companion.

While working as a nurse in Salt Lake City, Utah, Margaret was introduced to Lee Richard Dansie, who was attending Southern Utah University. Their friendship was immediate, and they wrote and dated for several months before he proposed to her. She passed his test for marriage, which was making a homemade Thanksgiving dinner. Margaret and Lee were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on December 18, 1970. 

Together Margaret and Lee built a life full of love and partnership. As their family grew, Margaret embraced homemaking wholeheartedly, sewing clothes, canning, managing food storage, and creating a warm and welcoming home. They built their own home, raising their three daughters in a wonderful neighborhood in Sandy, Utah, where they lived for 45 years. They also fostered many refugee children and sponsored two refugee families.

While Margaret cherished being a stay-at-home mother, life’s challenges, including economic downturns, brought her back into the workforce. She applied her nursing skills in hospitals, nursing homes, and managing a GI specialty clinic. Known for her compassion, Margaret often used her skills to help family, neighbors, and friends, always keeping a well-stocked medical kit ready. Together, she and Lee navigated life’s trials with resolve—becoming landlords, surviving teenage years, enduring job loss, and even rebuilding after a house fire.

Margaret’s faith was the anchor of her life. She was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served diligently in her callings and temple work. She especially loved the children in Primary and Nursery. Margaret and Lee became service missionaries at the Utah State Prison for four years. Their shared passion for genealogy led them to serve another four years at the Church History Library, preserving family histories. Margaret found immense joy in researching her family’s roots, reconnecting with long-lost relatives, and sharing her discoveries with loved ones across the country.

Margaret cherished creating lasting memories with their family. As grandparents, they delighted in taking each grandchild to Disneyland when they turned eight years old. Her grandchildren will fondly remember Dutch oven meals cooked over the firepit in Grandma’s backyard, playful days spent in Grandpa’s large garden, the family trip to Yellowstone, and the many dinners, birthday celebrations, and holiday meals filled with love. Her daughters will remember many church activities, camping trips in the mountains, music and life lessons, and trips to New York to visit Margaret’s family.

In her later years, Margaret’s health issues kept her less active than she would like to be. She quickly learned social media and cherished staying in touch with family and friends. Her love, wisdom, and gentle spirit will forever be a cherished part of the lives she touched.

Margaret is survived by her loving husband of almost 54 years, Lee Richard Dansie; her children: Marinda (Mindy) Lee Thomas (Damon Lorelle Thomas), Sara Lin Dansie Jones (Matthew Scott Jones), and LeAnne Curneal (James Robert Curneal); her treasured grandchildren: Damon, Dante, Robert, Elli, Savannah, Thaddeus, Cassandra, Benjamin, and Skylar. She is survived by her sister, Barbara Colescott, and nieces, JoAnne Sepe and Deborah Sepe Fitzko. Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, Ward and Bertha Elmore.

Margaret’s family wishes to express heartfelt gratitude to the staff of the Lodge at Riverton Assisted Living Center and Canyons Hospice for their kindness and dedication in ensuring Margaret’s peaceful passing into the next life.

To send flowers for the funeral, please visit this floral shop online and indicate that your order is dedicated to Margaret Dansie.

“Families can be together forever.” 

A viewing will be held Thursday, December 19, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Crescent South Stake Center at 275 E. 10600 S., Sandy, Utah 84070. The funeral service in honor of Margaret’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 20, 2024, at the Crescent South Stake Center with a family viewing one hour prior to the services. Interment will follow at 2 p.m. at Camp Williams Veterans Cemetery, located at 17111 S. Redwood Rd., Bluffdale, UT.

Friends and family unable to attend in person are welcome to remotely view the services through this virtual link: http://zoom.us/j/96239418034?pwd=ls7crta2y7ncy0qeblelxdpuezrbw4.1