Heather Dawn DeShazer

Heather Dawn DeShazer, 46, of Centennial, Colorado, died of complications due to a 15 month battle with colorectal cancer on October 26, 2025.

She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah October 15, 1979 to Russell David and Denise Gibb McNeill. Her family relocated to Arvada, Colorado in December 1980, where she was raised with her 3 siblings. Heather met her husband Jon-Michael in 1982 when his family moved from Santa Monica, California to Arvada and attended the same church and later high school as she did. However it was many years later before a casual acquaintance grew into love.

Heather graduated from Arvada West High School in 1998 and enrolled the following fall at Brigham Young University, majoring in accounting where she attended until the spring of 2001 before transferring to Metropolitan State College for the fall semester in 2001. During the Christmas season of 2000, she went on a date with Jon-Michael that quickly blossomed into a romance of which lasted throughout her life. Heather and Jon-Michael were married in August 2001.

Heather and Jon-Michael, worked hard to support each other as both were attending school and working full-time in the Denver area. Eventually, Jon-Michael finished his schooling in the spring of 2005, just 3 weeks before the birth of their first child, Caleb in April 2005. In 2006, a job opportunity brought them to the southeast side of the Denver to Aurora where they bought their first home. Heather continued to work in various accounting related jobs as Jon-Michael’s career moves over the next several years allowed her the choice to stay at home and raise their children full-time, her true passion. A second child (Bryce) was born in June 2008, followed by sisters Darcy in 2011 and Aubrey in 2015, just a month after moving into their second home in Centennial in 2015.

Heather was a natural leader, serving in various leadership capacities within her local church organizations and her children’s schools throughout her life, including serving as PTCO President at her son’s school for 2 years.

One of Heather’s greatest gifts was her ability to be a friend to all those around her. People were drawn to her for her outgoing personality, sense of humor and love for those around her. She had the amazing ability to connect with people almost instantly from all walks of life and had very loyal friends in every circle she ran with. She loved going out to lunch with her friends more than anything and would schedule lunch dates regularly and would have a wonderful time.

Heather was loving and supportive to her husband Jon-Michael. They spent many hours watching favorite TV shows together like Doctor Who, Downton Abbey, The Office and Parks and Recreation. They enjoyed dating each other regularly and supporting each other’s passions and getting away alone or together on a regular basis to pursue them.

Heather was an avid book reader for most of her life, finishing as many as 400 books in one calendar year, classic romance and young adult fiction were among her favorites. Heather loved to paint, draw and create. Many of her water color paintings from high school adorned the walls of her home and her parents’ home over the years. During her last 15 months, she created a book full of collages and artistic works she did while being treated for her illness.

Heather was a devoted disciple of her faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She loved the teachings of Jesus Christ and lived them to the best of her ability by showing love to all those around her, particularly those who find themselves marginalized by society. She also applied these teachings to rearing her children, advocating for them as learning disabilities and struggles with school made education very difficult for some of them. In her church, she loved working with the youth in her congregations, building lifelong friendships with many of these kids as they got older. She was a soft place to land emotionally for many of them and was a kind, loving and understanding person.

Heather was a beautiful woman inside and out. Her influence on others will be felt for many many years amongst those who knew her best.

Heather is survived by Jon-Michael DeShazer (husband), their 4 children Caleb (20), Bryce (17), Darcy (14), Aubrey (10), her parents Russell and Denise McNeill, sister Jocelyn Harvey (Jace), brother Brett McNeill (Ashley), sister Allie Shortt (Jonathan) and many nieces and nephews.

A viewing for family and friends will be held from 5-6:30pm, on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Horan & McConaty, 11150 E. Dartmouth Ave., Aurora, CO 80014.

An additional viewing will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7405 So. Addison Court, in Aurora, on Monday, November 3, 2025, from 9-10am, prior to the Funeral service that will begin at 10:30am.

For those unable to attend the Funeral service in person, please click on the following zoom link to participate virtually: https://zoom.us/j/98273485240

Heather will be laid to rest at the Golden Cemetery, 755 Ulysses Street, Golden, CO 80401. The burial will be immediatly following the service at the Church.