Elise Caffee—the most incredible wife to Dan, mother to Madeline, Olivia, and Lauren, twin sister to Kristina, big sister to Jessie and Scott, daughter to Julie and Kim, and friend to so many—tragically passed away on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, due to insurmountable complications following a car accident in Cancun, Mexico, on March 6. She will be missed immeasurably and will be remembered for her adventurous spirit, deep compassion, and unwavering love for her family.

Elise was born alongside her best friend and identical twin, Kristina, in Summit, New Jersey, on November 23, 1979, to Julie Elaine Smith and Andrew Kim Smith. At fifteen weeks premature, Elise and Kristina were so small they fit in their Dad’s palm. While Kristina went home after a month, Elise spent the first three months of her life in the hospital. She was truly the Smith family’s miracle baby!

Once Jessie and Scott were born, Elise and Kristina became the oldest of four siblings and spent their early years in Maplewood and then Short Hills, New Jersey. During their third-grade year, Elise and Kristina’s world expanded in a way that would shape them forever—their family moved to Tokyo, Japan. Life in Tokyo was a grand adventure which deepened their appreciation for different cultures and traditions. Elise attributes her love of travel to these formative years living in Asia where she watched her mother confidently navigate foreign countries—China, Thailand, and Singapore—with her own young children in tow.

After returning to the United States for eighth grade, Elise continued on to Millburn High School where she participated in school musicals and select singing groups, played on the school’s field hockey and lacrosse teams, and was an exceptional student.

Elise’s love of language and storytelling led her to Brigham Young University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature. She then pursued a master’s degree in Rhetoric and Composition, serving as an editorial assistant for the Rhetoric Society Quarterly and teaching honors freshman composition and technical writing courses. After completing her graduate studies, Elise was selected to attend the prestigious New York University Summer Publishing Institute, an experience that helped launch her distinguished career in academic and textbook publishing.

Elise worked both in-house and as a freelance editor for leading publishing companies, including Cengage Learning, SAGE Publications, and Cognella. She specialized in strategic development, project management, developmental editing, proofreading, and art and photo research.

Her career took her to Menlo Park in the Bay Area where she worked at Cengage and embraced the vibrant West Coast lifestyle. She joined a local rowing team, explored San Francisco’s neighborhoods, and hosted unforgettable gatherings with friends.

After several years, Elise transitioned to SAGE Publishing, moving south to Santa Monica. Her new role involved extensive travel across the U.S. and Canada, something she fully embraced. She made her daily commute along the Pacific Coast Highway in her beloved blue BMW convertible, reveling in the ocean air and the deep friendships she built during her time in Southern California.

It was during this time that she met her husband, Dan Caffee. For him, it was love at first sight, though it took him months to tell one of their mutual friends that his dream girl was a certain “strawberry-blonde lacrosse player.” On paper, they were opposites—Elise, deliberate and introspective; Dan, spontaneous and full of big ideas—but in each other, they found a perfect counterbalance, a shared love for adventure, and an unshakable partnership.

They were married on November 24, 2007, and soon relocated to Utah where Dan’s company was headquartered.

With her move to Salt Lake City, Elise founded Ginger Editorial Services, allowing her to continue her passion for publishing, and rediscovered her love of lacrosse, this time as a coach. She joined the Skyline High School girls’ lacrosse team as an assistant coach before eventually becoming head coach, and in 2013, she led Skyline to a state championship. This victory was a direct result of her passion, leadership, and tireless commitment to the sport. She was a mentor and role model, shaping the confidence of young women both on and off the field.

Throughout these years of coaching, Dan and Elise also welcomed three daughters: Madeline Eva on June 3, 2009; Olivia Havana on May 3, 2011; and Lauren Acadia on January 7, 2014.

Elise was an attentive, adoring, and involved mother—meeting friends at the park, planning trips to museums, reading bedtime stories long after bedtime, decorating her daughters’ bedrooms, planning elaborate birthday surprises and parties, and of course––traveling. Elise and Dan loved to travel and believed in raising a strong family culture where exploring new things—and being together while trying new things—was integral.

Elise always said: “Take the trip!” So, with three young daughters in tow, Dan and Elise set out to explore the world and open their daughters’ eyes to new cultures and countries, visiting Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, London, Beijing, Budapest, and Prague, among others.

In 2015, Elise began to chronicle their family’s adventures on her Instagram account @3kidstravel and encouraged other parents to “just go!” Elise said, “Traveling became our way to connect and bond as a family” and attributed their closeness, in part, to their adventures. Elise and Dan also developed close friendships with others in this travel community and, in addition to family travel, they were both always eager to go on couple’s trips and trips with friends. Elise had most recently gone on a humanitarian trip to Uganda and a hiking trip to Switzerland.

In 2022, Elise co-founded Jumelle Press, an independent publishing house based in Salt Lake City, the name a nod to the fact that Elise and co-founder Tiffany Rosenhan were both identical twins. Their partnership was a deep and cherished friendship, filled with laughter, trust, and a shared passion for storytelling. Jumelle was created to offer a more collaborative and personalized publishing process and had so far launched five new authors and popular titles. Elise was deeply proud of the work she did at Jumelle, championing new authors and crafting beautiful books, while building strong friendships that would last for years. It wasn’t only Elise’s expert technical and organizational skills that led to her running a successful publishing company, it was also her graceful leadership skills and ability to mentor authors, writers, and illustrators to reach their full potential.

Beyond her professional and personal passions, Elise was also a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. She dedicated her time to numerous callings for her church, most recently serving in the Stake Young Women’s presidency. She was also a tireless advocate for underprivileged communities. Volunteering with the Utah Refugee Connection, she formed deep, lifelong bonds with a refugee family who became part of her own. Elise and Dan also supported Roots Charter school, a unique school dedicated to empowering underserved youth through hands-on agricultural learning.

Elise’s greatest success and greatest pride was in her three beautiful daughters and adoring husband. She could often be found sending texts or updates to her extended family group chat about Madeline’s choir, Olivia’s water polo team, or Lauren’s dance group. She was so proud of Dan’s entrepreneurial spirit and amused by his many hobbies and adventures. They were truly a power couple, a partnership built on laughter, loyalty, and love. Elise treasured the time she had with their family together on trips where the busyness and distractions of the world were able to fall away and they could continue to reconnect time and time again.

If Elise’s love for adventure shaped her outward journey, her twin, Kristina, was the anchor to her inner world. More than sisters, they were confidantes, therapists, and lifelong companions, bound by an unspoken understanding that only twins can share.

They spoke nearly every day, sometimes multiple times a day, about everything and nothing at all. Elise was Kristina’s safe place, the person who understood her without explanation, who knew the weight of her worries before she even had to say them aloud. No matter what was happening in their lives—through busy days, through struggles, through joy—they reached for each other. They didn’t just talk; they listened. They didn’t just console; they understood.

Their connection was something deeper that existed long before they were born. As children, they bickered and fought like all siblings do, but always returned to each other—because they were never meant to be apart. And yet, now, they are.

Kristina has lost not just her sister, but a part of herself, a presence so constant and natural that it feels impossible to imagine life without her. And yet, in her grief, she carries forward a promise to Elise—to be there for her daughters, to pass along the stories, the love, the memories, to ensure that the bond they shared continues, in some way, through the next generation.

To lose Elise is to lose a part of the fabric of family itself—hers is a voice that cannot be replaced and a light that will never be dimmed.

Elise is survived by her husband Dan; their three daughters: Madeline, Olivia, and Lauren; her mother, Julie Smith; and her siblings, Kristina Buskirk, Scott Smith, and Jessica Thomander. She was preceded in death by her father, Andrew Kim Smith.

The Caffee and Smith families wish to thank the incredible staff at the University of Utah Hospital Burn Unit for the amazing care they gave to Elise despite insurmountable odds.

Viewings will be held at the Cottonwood Creek Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1535 E. Creek Road in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, on Thursday, March 20, 2025, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday, March 21, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m.

Condolences to the family may be shared at https://www.memorialutah.com/obituaries/elise-caffee