Emmett Steed

Emmett Dale Steed of Cedar City, Utah, passed away on October 25, 2026. He was born July 14, 1950, in Logan, Utah, to Dale and Elizabeth Steed.

Emmett’s most important priorities in life were his God and Church, his wife and children, and his work and friends. He is survived by his wife, Jana Jones Steed, his brother, Martin Steed, his children, Carolyn, Elisa, Anthony, Volana, and Laila, and his grandchildren, Kimberly, Kimora, and Adlee. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Barbara, and his son, Mark.

Emmett grew up with great friends in Logan and was an honorable mention All-American basketball player at Logan High School. He attended Utah State University and graduated in 1974. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Chile. Emmett earned an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird, School of Global Management in 1975 and was hired by Marriott International. He was first assigned to Scottsdale, Arizona, to work at Marriott’s Camelback Inn. While working in Arizona, he met Jana, his devoted wife of 50 years.

Emmett’s work took them to New York City, Acapulco, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Panama City, Panama, Vancouver, Washington, and Costa Mesa and Anaheim, California.

When Emmett left Marriott and went to Red Lion Hotels and Inns in Vancouver, Washington, his choice to live in Vancouver caught the eye of Money Magazine. He and Jana were featured on the cover of the January 1990 issue for selecting to live in a tax haven rather than the highly taxed Portland area.

After twenty-five years of hotel administration and two vice president jobs, one in accounting and one in operations, the company he was then with, Promus Hotels, was purchased by Hilton Corporation. Emmett accepted the severance package rather than staying with Hilton and used that to attend UNLV for a PhD in Hospitality Administration. Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, hired him to start its Hotel, Resort and Hospitality Management Program. He taught at SUU for nineteen years and retired in 2022 as a fully tenured professor.

While in Mexico, Florida, and Panama, he and Jana adopted three children. In Cedar City, they also adopted three of their grandchildren. Helping them grow and giving them opportunities in life brought him great happiness. He also found joy in serving in the church. He served valiantly in many callings, including as a district president in Mexico and as bishop, first in Panama and again in Cedar City.

In 2020, he had his first cancer surgery with a successful outcome. He found great delight in playing golf with friends, riding his Harley to the National Parks of southern Utah and Arizona, attending the temple with Jana, taking the family to their summer cabin in Arizona, and four-wheeling with the kids and grandkids. In 2024, cancer returned with a vengeance. Major surgery, intensive radiation, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy medications prolonged his life but couldn’t stop the cancer. He passed away peacefully in his home with Jana by his side. He is greatly loved and will be missed tremendously.

Services will be held in Cedar City, Utah, on Saturday, November 7th, 2026, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 370 North 4050 West. A viewing will be held at 10:30 a.m. The service will be at 12:00 noon.

A graveside service will be held at the Logan Cemetery on Monday, November 9th at 1:00 p.m.

Final arrangements are under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. To view a livestream of the service and share online condolences, visit www.mortuary.org. Click on his obituary.