Denise Aline Gunnip

Denise Aline Gunnip (née Drevecky), 71, passed quietly into the arms of The Lord on January 22 after a lengthy illness. Denise was born in San Antonio on August 21, 1953 to Wayne (an aircraft engineer) and Dorothy Drevecky (a homemaker).

Her early years were spent moving all over the country for her father’s work. Fairbanks, Alaska and Sacramento, California were stops along the way before relocating to Chenango Forks, New York where Denise graduated from high school in 1971. Her family then moved to Texas where Denise enrolled at the University of Texas at Arlington. It was there that she met her husband of fifty years, Robert Gunnip. The two were married in January of 1975, living in Fort Worth and raising a family together.

Denise was a stay-at-home mom for the early years of her kids’ lives, but she later began teaching Pre-Kindergarten at Pantego Christian Academy where they attended school. While there, Denise worked to complete her B.A. with a teaching certificate which she earned in 1997. She went on to teach elementary school for Southlake Carroll, Mansfield, and finally Grand Prairie before retiring in 2018. She taught multiple grade levels, but her greatest joy came from teaching Spanish.

Blessed with a radiant smile, a warm laugh, and a kind heart, Denise was a model of Christian temperance and fortitude. She dearly loved her family, and she especially enjoyed reading bedtime stories to her seven grandchildren.

Denise leaves behind her loving husband of 50 years, Robert, her son Brandon and his wife Alicia, her son Nathan and his wife Diane (all of Arlington), and her daughter Amanda and her husband Ray Borden of Mansfield. Her memory will be cherished by her six handsome grandsons, Ian, Anthony, Eliot, Lucas, Andrew, and Ryland, and her beautiful granddaughter, Hannah.

She was preceded in death by her parents Wayne and Dorothy Drevecky, and her sister Patrice and husband Buddy Ince.

A celebration of Denise’s life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, and in honor of her favorite pastime, please buy a book and read it to a special child in your life. Our mother will smile down on you.