Nancy Pearl NeSmith

Nancy Pearl NeSmith

March 20, 1947 – October 23, 2026

Nancy Pearl NeSmith, 79, of Spanish Fork, Utah, passed away peacefully on October 23, 2026, from complications of Parkinson’s disease.

Nancy was born on March 20, 1947, at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station in North Carolina to Dorothy Edna Gentsch and Joseph Quentin NeSmith. She shared her birthday with her older sister, Patricia Ann NeSmith, who was born three years earlier. As the daughter of a United States Marine, Nancy grew up in North Carolina, Virginia, California, and Hawaii. She considered Orange, California, her hometown.

Nancy graduated from Orange High School in 1965, where she was active in Junior Achievement and received the Executive Award. She participated in the yearbook staff, school newspaper, drill team, and varsity doubles tennis team. She went on to earn an Associate of Arts degree in journalism from Santa Ana College and a Bachelor of Science degree in genealogy from Brigham Young University.

Nancy had a lifelong love of learning, adventure, and family history. She enjoyed sailing, writing, cooking, SCUBA diving, movies, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. She especially cherished her years at YWCA girls’ camp, serving as a counselor at Camp Osceola in California for many years. Her passion for genealogy became a fulfilling career, and she worked for 35 years in the Family History Department in Salt Lake City for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, helping preserve family histories and connect generations.

She was active in the First Methodist Church in Santa Ana before joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of 20. She was also actively involved in politics and was one of the co-founders of Professional Republican Women (PRW) of Utah. She was elected to Utah’s delegation to the Republican National Conventions in 1984 and 1988, representing her state during the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. She also had the opportunity to attend presidential inaugurations.

In 2005, Nancy moved to Spanish Fork, Utah, to be closer to her family. She treasured family gatherings, reunions, and the relationships she maintained with loved ones throughout her life. Though she never married, family was always an important part of her life.

Nancy is survived by her brother, Joseph Quentin NeSmith, Jr. (Dottie), of Virginia, and her younger sister, Lucille NeSmith Gull (George), of Utah; 10 nieces and nephews; 26 grandnieces and grandnephews; and nine great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Quentin Nesmith and Dorothy Edna Gentsch; her sister, Patricia Ann NeSmith; her grandnephews Quentin Matthew Vorwaller and Boston George Jensen; and her great-grandnephew Kade Tyler Smith.

Nancy will be remembered for her love of family, her adventurous spirit, her dedication to preserving family history, and her lifelong commitment to learning and service. Her legacy lives on in the many family stories she helped preserve and in the generations of family members who will continue to cherish her memory.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 11:00 am at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery, 420 South 400 East, Spanish Fork.

For those unable to attend the service in person, you may view the Livestream HERE

We would like to thank Hearthstone Manor in Spanish Fork, Utah for taking care of Nancy for the last 2 months.

Condolences for the family may be expressed on this page.