By james art
Monica Scottsdale McKenzie
Memoriam
A Celebration of the Life of Monica Scottsdale McKenzie August 19, 1966 – October 10, 2024 Monica was born in Tucson, Arizona to Tom and Marilyn Jones. After her parents separated when she was two years old, she grew up in Michigan on the shores of Lake Huron with her mother Marilyn, father Don McKenzie, and siblings Kim Golsan, Donald McKenzie Jr. and Prudie. At age nine, the family moved to Salt Lake City, where she attended Brighton High School. Her first jobs were at Snowbird and Coachmans, becoming part of the Nichols family. Throughout her life, Monica was a caregiver, often visiting her grandmother in Michigan and supporting her until her death.
In the early 1990s, she moved to Denver, helping open the Denver Diner and caring for Helen Skordos in her later years. Monica was an avid runner, participating in marathons such as the Bolder Boulder. She married Benjamin Stone, embracing his family, before returning to Salt Lake City to become a master esthetician at a Park City spa. She later returned to Denver, working at the Denver Diner and helping the Trudell family start serving customers at Breadwinners Restaurant and Catering in Olde Town Arvada. While skiing at Keystone, she met her husband, Dana Darrow, and they remained together until her last breath.
Eight years ago, Monica was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, and they eventually moved to Utah to be closer to her family. They settled in Ogden and she received the best care imaginable at Huntsman Cancer Center from Dr. Sandra Buice and her team. When Dana’s mother needed care, Monica devoted herself fully to this role. She was also able to reunite with her biological father’s family by finding her brother Tom Jones through genetic testing.
Monica’s final act of a life spent serving others was to donate her body to the University of Utah in hopes that it would help cure cancer.
A celebration of her life is planned for mid-January so that her entire extended family can attend. For information about the upcoming celebration, please email Marilyn McKenzie: [email protected]