Dena Diane Goetz( 1955 - 2018)

Dena Diane Goetz FORT WORTH -- Dena Diane Goetz peacefully joined our Lord in Heaven, Tuesday,

August 7, 2018. Dena's third fight with cancer exhibited her best virtues - grace, elegance, strength, dignity, courage and love. SERVICE: A celebration of Dena's life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church, 800 West 5th Street, Fort Worth, 76102. MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her name to the Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth,

Texas 76107. The one word that best honors the true spirit of this exceptional woman is "love." Dena loved her life - her friends, her high school sweetheart, her family, and most of all, her boys - with an easy air of confidence that most of us can only aspire to. In all matters of decency, decorum and parenthood, Dena was simply a natural. Dena Diane Goetz was born on August 18, 1955, in Warrensburg, Mo. to

William and Betty Gibbons. Dena was the third of four daughters. Growing up in an Air Force family meant many stops along the way for the Gibbons family, before setting permanent roots in Arlington. It was here where Dena's life journey began in earnest. As a student at Arlington High School, she met the love of her life, Matt Goetz, whom she wed in the summer of 1980. Regarded as the "All-American" couple by friends and family, Dena and Matt spent time in Longview and Austin prior to settling down in Fort Worth, where they raised their three boys - Reid, Ben and Mike. Dena had an approachable and comforting nature to her, often shown with her exceptionally beautiful smile. Simply stated, she radiated positivity and love. Her family was filled with love, promise and togetherness, her three boys were her world. Her love multiplied with the arrival of her four precious grandsons. Despite a life full of boys, Dena did get her girls - Katie and Elizabeth, her two daughters-in-law, whom Dena absolutely cherished and adored. A creative soul with the skills of a true artist, Dena found great joy in her artistic endeavors... painting, art collection, interior design, fashion, and gardening, Dena's legacy is one that will always inspire those who knew her. And as an accomplished baker, no Christmas celebration was complete without one of Dena's legendary chocolate pies. In an age where "homemaker" is somehow perceived as disparaging, Dena elevated it to an art form. Dena is now in the hands of the Lord and has been blessed with eternal peace and joy. SURVIVORS: Dena is survived by her husband, Matthew Douglass; sons, Reid Douglass (Katie), Benjamin Ross (Elizabeth), Michael Grey; grandsons, Reid Douglass, Jr, Matthew Trippe, Pierce Richardson, William Webb; sisters, Linda Lee (Ren), Gail Cummins, and Jill Gibbons; and many brothers- and sisters-in law who loved Dena dearly and were by her side during her final chapter.

Funeral Home

Greenwood Funeral Homes-Greenwood Chapel

3100 White Settlement Rd. Fort Worth, TX 76107

817-336-0584

Published in Star-Telegram on Aug. 10, 2018