Gisela Hulda McKenzie

Memorial service: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 12, at The Church at Rush Creek. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Moore Funeral Home on North Davis Drive, Arlington.

Memorials: Should friends desire, gifts may be made to Arlington Pregnancy Center, 2810 NW Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington, Texas 76012.

Gisela was born Feb. 15, 1935, in Berlin, Germany, to Karl and Martha Ruge Beckmann. Gisela grew up in Berlin during World War II. At age 16, she worked diligently to come to America. She met and married Leonard McKenzie, who later brought her to his home state of Texas. She adopted Texas as her home and became a proud U.S. citizen. Gisela devoted herself to her husband and their children with a love and dedication that saw the family through hardship and tragedy. She accepted Christ as her Savior as an adult and followed Him with all her heart. She was a longtime resident of Arlington, where she was a head bookkeeper for many years. She was a member of The Church at Rush Creek and Bible Study Fellowship. She leaves behind a close-knit family who loved her and a wide array of friends who benefitted from her love and wisdom.

The family would like to thank A. Saleemi, M.D., for his faithfulness and compassionate care throughout Gisela's illness.

She was preceded in death by her parents and husband, Leonard Lee McKenzie.

Survivors: Sons, Joe and wife, Kim, of Burleson and Bill and wife, Galena, of Spring Branch; daughters, Valerie and husband, Gene-o Parenica, of Arlington and Karen McKenzie Leake of Austin; grandchildren, Kyle, Doug and wife, Natalie, Stephanie and husband, David, Alicia and husband, Stephen, Brad and wife, Emily, Daniel, Theresa and Jonathan; and great-grandchildren, Andruw, Alan and Greer.