Sarah Nicole Dayton

Sarah Nicole Dayton, 29, of Kaysville, Utah, passed away on July 23, 2026, after a lifelong battle with health issues. She was born with a broken heart, but she spent 29 years filling the hearts of her family, friends, and neighbors.

Sarah was born on October 2, 1996, to Dorothy Seely and David Dayton. From her earliest days, she was a fighter. She came into the world with a heart condition, a chromosomal disorder, and autoimmune issues that required open-heart surgeries and feeding and breathing tubes before she was old enough to understand what any of it meant. She met every bit of it with a resilience that would define her whole life. She had a full and joyful adolescence and young adulthood. Most people would never have guessed she had such a hard beginning.

She graduated from Davis High School, where she was crowned Junior Prom Queen and was a beloved Peer Tutor, drawn especially to helping students with disabilities. She later went on to graduate from Vista Education Campus, where she learned valuable skills and made lifelong friends. Sarah worked as a facer at Bowman's Market, and for the last eight years she served faithfully as a Service Missionary in the Global Service Department for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, riding public transit into downtown Salt Lake City for her shifts. She continued her missionary service remotely following COVID. For the last six months of her life, she also served in the laundry at the Layton Temple.

Sarah earned her black belt from Kaysville Martial Arts Academy, having worked hard to learn many katas, and became adept at delivering a strong “axe kick.” She loved Pokémon, Scooby-Doo, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Transformers, and Hallmark shows. She could always be talked into a game of Skip-Bo or a round of Dungeons & Dragons, and never turned down a Game Boy or a Nintendo console. Sarah was drawn to every baby she saw. She loved reading books with her dad, back tickles, hot tubbing, mini-golf, riding on the back of the tandem e-bike, and stopping to read every informational plaque at aquariums and zoos. She was often found wearing sunglasses indoors to protect her sensitive eyes. She never went to sleep without her Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine pillow and her beloved teddy bear, Corduroy. Above all, Sarah was a proud aunt, texting photos of her nephew to her many friends and loved ones.

In the interest of anyone who truly knew her, Sarah would also want it noted, with love, that she had no interest whatsoever in loud noises, cold weather, heights, needles, hospitals, or food.

Beginning in 2022, Sarah’s autoimmune diseases led to a long and difficult decline, bringing back the feeding and breathing tubes she'd fought so hard to leave behind as a child. Even then, she kept her sense of humor and her heart. Sarah never complained about the hand she was dealt, which is truly remarkable.

Sarah is survived by her parents, Dorothy and David Dayton, and her siblings Amanda (Sasha McKee), Taylor (Devynn MacLennan), and Anna, along with her nephew Lachlan and a niece on the way. She is also survived by her paternal grandmother, Donna Dayton, and many adoring aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to her doctors, specialists, and the many nurses who lovingly cared for her throughout the years. We are also deeply grateful to the many neighbors and friends who, at a moment's notice, were always there to help with even the smallest—and sometimes unpleasant—tasks. We will never be able to repay the many acts of service we have received over the years. Finally, we offer our heartfelt thanks to her beloved "Sundays with Sarah" sisters, whose faithful presence and loving companionship brought her great comfort when she was unable to attend church. They will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Funeral services will be held Friday, July 31, at 11:00 AM in her church building at 1282 W 1875 N, Farmington, UT 84025, with a viewing held prior from 9:30–10:30 AM. A viewing will also be held the night before, Thursday, July 30, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 PM at Russon Brothers Mortuary in Farmington. Interment will be in the Heber City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, Sarah would love it if you performed an act of kindness for someone else. If preferred, donations can be made in Sarah’s name to Primary Children’s Hospital.