Rhonda "Shelly" Dugger Obituary

Rhonda Michelle (Shelly) Dugger left this earthly life July 8, 2025, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Shelly was born January 11, 1960, to Sherron G and Donneita Jackson. She was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in which she held several callings in the primary, young women’s, ministering teacher and her favorite, the scouting program. She loved working with the boys as cub scouts and watching them grow to be young men.

During her teenage years she developed a talent for drawing. One time she saw an ad for an art school. It had a picture of a turtle that said, “draw zippy,” so she did and submitted it. A while later there was a man knocking on the door wanting mom & dad to let her enroll. She couldn’t go but the love for drawing stayed with her. She also loved making wood crafts. One year she combined the two and drew the characters of the nativity scene on plywood then cut then cut them out and painted them. Mom displayed them in her yard for many years. She went on to make side tables, rocking chairs, light up snowmen, & Christmas trains with several train cars and many other crafts.

When she was 18 years old, she joined a government work program and worked at the Dinosaur National Monument on the maintenance crew. She really enjoyed that and was hoping for a full-time position but was passed over. She then worked for several years at Dave Jolley Chevrolet washing and detailing vehicles. She then moved to Grand Prairie and Godley Texas for 3 years. When she came back home, she worked at Red Canyon Lodge, K-mart, TJ’s Productions and then spent the last five years at Sportsman’s Warehouse until she could no longer work.

While working at Red Canyon Lodge she met the man she would marry, David Dugger. They were married January 28, 1988, in Lake Tahoe California on their way to Camino, California, where they lived until returning to Vernal in 1989. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Provo temple. She tried for many years to have a baby and finally with the help of God and modern technology, they were blessed with one son, Douglas. He was the light of her life, and she was devoted to him. She was so proud but terrified at the same time when Doug joined the United States Army Airbourne. She couldn’t understand why he would want to jump out of airplanes when he couldn’t even climb a ladder, so when he called after his first jump, she was very relieved, to say the least. To the very end she always considered him her baby boy!

Shelly was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 uterine cancer in May of 2023. She kept telling her oncologist that he had to keep her alive long enough to see her son again. She underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but it didn’t help, in fact it took her strength away until she couldn’t stand up from a chair by herself. She decided to try clinical studies and had just started her fourth one.

Shelly is preceded in death by her parents Sherron and Donneita Jackson of Vernal, UT, parents-in-law, Roy and Flora Dugger, of Camino, California, brother Glendon Jackson, sister Verna Scott, niece Amanda Pitchford, brothers-in-law Homer Scott and Lee Overholts of Vernal, and a great-nephew Devin Burt, of Fairbanks, Alaska. She is survived by husband David Dugger, son Douglas Dugger, brothers Hal (Kim) Jackson, Cal (Shona) Jackson, sister Janet Overholts, and many nieces and nephews of Vernal, UT.

Funeral Services for Rhonda "Shelly" will be held Friday, July 11, 2025 at 11 AM at the Uintah Stake Center (4080 S 2500 E) with viewings held Thursday, July 10, 2025 from 6-8 PM at the Mortuary and from 9:45 - 10:45 am prior to service at the Stake Center.

Burial will be in the Rock Point Cemetery under the care of Blackburn Vernal Mortuary.