Denise Cecile Landry

Denise Cecile Landry (née DeCuypere) passed away peacefully of natural causes in the early morning hours of October 19, 2022, at Princeton Medical Lodge in Princeton, Texas. Denise was born in St. Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on July 14, 1929.

She is survived by her eight children: Roxanne Reynolds of Tyler, Texas; Kathleen Landry of Woodward, Iowa; Jocelyn Landry of Mineola, Texas; Elaine Clampitt (Jeff) of Aurora, Colorado; John Landry (Karen) of Seaview, Washington; Martin Landry (Denise) of Allen, Texas; Julie DeCuypere of South Burlington, Vermont; and Dianne Landry of Denton, Texas. She had 14 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

She is pre-deceased by her cherished husband, Gerard “Gerry” Landry, her parents, René DeCuypere (born in Lille, France) and Janneke “Jenny” Decuypere (née Haak), (born in Zuidzande, Netherlands), and her two younger brothers, Henry DeCuypere and Donald DeCuypere.

Denise inherited her love of nature from her mother. She grew up spending time outdoors and loved to walk and look at the birds. She grew up in St. Boniface except for a few years when the family moved to British Columbia during the Depression where they lived on a small farm. She loved to tell the story of the time she got stuck in the chicken coop with the cute baby chicks!

She excelled at school, was bilingual in French and English, and loved to sing and play the piano. In her early twenties she worked as a commercial artist in Winnipeg. Denise met her husband, Gerry, through a mutual friend and they were married on June 9, 1951, after Gerry finished medical school. They were married for over fifty years. They lived in Canada for the first few years of their marriage and then made the decision to move to Iowa in the United States so Gerry could do a residency in anesthesia. They later became United States citizens and would go on to live in several states and in Europe, eventually settling in the piney woods of Lindale, Texas.

With a growing family Denise was always busy, but she always found time for music. She sang in local church and community choirs, often as a soloist. Denise was devoted to her family and her faith. Her home was always open to those in need. She joined her husband in Christian ministry in their later years, including living in Europe in the 1980s working for Hospital Christian Fellowship and while in Lindale working with Calvary Commission. She read her Bible daily and her steadfast faith in Jesus was a comfort to her.

Throughout her life, her biggest joy was her home and her family. She was happiest when surrounded by her children and grandchildren, baking, sewing, and playing the piano. An avid crafter, she crocheted every day and donated hundreds of hand-made hats to charity. In her later years, she moved to Corinth, Texas to be closer to her children and spent many happy days there enjoying time with her grandchildren. Even though she is missed dearly, we are joyful that she is home in heaven now, reunited with her beloved Gerry and her family.

A celebration of life for Denise will be held Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 1:00 pm in the Chapel of Tyler Memorial Funeral Home, with an internment immediately following at the Tyler Memorial Park Cemetery.

Thank you to Shauna Hartman (her friend and hairdresser) and the staff at Princeton Medical Lodge who helped take care of Denise in her last years and showed her kindness.

In lieu of flowers, Denise requested that donations be made to Calvary Commission, P.O. Box 100, Lindale, TX 75771 or https://calvarycommission.org/give/ (please mention Denise Landry in memorial).