Dustin Albrecht

Dustin Albrecht took his final breath on October 29, 2021 after more than 3 years of a difficult and valiant battle with an extremely rare form of Plasma Cell Leukemia. Dustin lived the life that most only dream of. Not one minute passed where he wasn’t full of gratitude for the life he lived. He loved more deeply than anyone we have ever known.

Dustin was born in Richfield, Utah on May 29, 1982 to Sherman Albrecht & Orlene Miller Albrecht- McKellar. He was the little bro and very best friend of his two brothers Brandon & Shaun. Dustin was the most feisty and hard-headed little guy you could ever meet - never backing down to anyone or anything.

Dustin made it clear to everyone around him how much he loved and appreciated them even if they just met briefly. Not one day passed without him saying “I’m the luckiest guy in the world” or “I can’t believe how lucky I am.” even when he was so sick or in so much pain that he could barely get out of bed. His love for his wife and daughter was a love that you only read about in books.

When he was six years old, the first thing he said when he met his new Grandma Joyce was, “You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen and the experiences I’ve had.” That remained true throughout Dustin’s life. Dustin found joy and exceled in everything he did. His hobbies as a young boy were rollerblading, biking and riding dirt bikes. At the age of 16 Dustin was in a dirt bike accident that nearly left him paralyzed. He spent nearly a month in the hospital but that didn’t stop him from getting back on that bike. He was pretty dang proud of his scars.

From the time Dustin was little, he swore he would never get married, and certainly never have a child. But on November 29, 2002 he met his soon to be wife Jamie. Their meeting happened by chance as they met at the Maverick on River Rd. in St. George. That is and will always be the best day of both of their lives. They both knew what they wanted right away and were married 71 days later on February 8, 2003.

Dustin and Jamie had a love that only happens in movies or books. On April 28, 2006, Dustin and Jamie welcomed their daughter McKinlee into the world and that’s when their life truly began. Dustin was so proud of his cute little girl and spent every minute possible teaching her about the joys of life. Dustin and Mckinlee had the most amazing relationship from day 1. They loved driving in the hills listening and singing along to old country music. They could be found late at night eating a bowl of cereal together, laughing and joking about everything and nothing. They truly had the most beautiful father-daughter relationship any of us had ever witnessed.

Dustin, Jamie & McKinlee loved to travel and did a lot. One of their favorite trips was through the Norwegian Fjords when McKinlee was just about a year old. She learned to walk while they were on that cruise ship with her tiny squeaky shoes that let everyone know exactly where she was every minute of the day or night. Everyone that met them immediately fell in love their cute little family, doting on McKinlee, and making comments about what a proud dad Dustin was. Their travels included so many good times on the beaches in La Jolla, trips to Hawaii, Alaska, and cruises to the Caribbean Islands. They enjoyed spending lots of time on their pontoon boat pulling the inner tube, fishing, and swimming.

Just like both of his parents, his brothers, and his grandpa Miller, Dustin was born to love nature with his whole heart. They spent countless days, and weeks in the mountains near Fish Lake National Forest, and the Beaver mountains. They drove the endless back roads in Dustin’s Dodge pickup, and rode their razors and four-wheelers through rivers, trails, rocks and cliffs for days on end, going where very few people had ever gone. They loved to hike together, as they’d search for hidden treasures, deserted pioneer towns, and finding special rocks that they would bring home for Jamie to place in their gardens. Every rock in their yard has a special memory attached to it.

Even though Jamie could never hurt an animal, Dustin loved hunting deer, elk, coyotes, and anything else that was legal to hunt. Dustin, his two brothers, his dad and close friends went hunting together as a tradition every year. At first, Jamie would stay home so that Dustin could have those special guy-times. But it didn’t take long before Dustin felt that he “couldn’t stay away from his girls” so Jamie and McKinlee would happily go along making it all-the-more fun for everyone. They were always that couple who everyone relied on to choose where they were going to camp, travel or play and the rest of us would join them wherever they went. One of the most memorable sayings that has been repeated hundreds of times by his mom, dad, brothers, nieces, nephews and friends over the past decades has been, “When Uncle Dustin and Aunt Jamie arrive, that’s when the fun begins.”

We can imagine that Dustin is still traveling, visiting every site he ever dreamed to see. We know he will be right there with his brothers and dad on every hunt to come. He will be right by his mother’s side giving inspiration to her as she writes her books. And he will most certainly be right there with his wife and daughter laughing at their stories and jokes as they eat their midnight bowl of cereal (that Jamie is learning to love). The world won’t be the same without this amazing man, he will be missed by all who know and love him.

Dustin will be missed by his wife Jamie, daughter McKinlee, mother, Orlene Albrecht McKellar, father, Sherman Loren Albrecht, mother-in-law Michelle (Darrell) Aldrich, father-in-law, Sidney (Nga) Graff, siblings: Brandon (Heidi) Albrecht, Shaun ( Danielle) Albrecht, Rachel Newton, Jenifer (Alex) Umana and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, November 7, 2021 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.at the Bloomington Country Club, 3174 South Bloomington Dr., St. George, Utah. This service will be live-streamed, click on the link below.