Gudrun Florentine

Gudrun Florentine 76, passed away peacefully at her home in Nacogdoches, Texas on February 21, 2020.

Born October 26, 1943, in Gimte, Kreis Hann-Muenden, Germany, Gudrun trained as a dental assistant as a teenager, later traveling to London to work as a nanny. In 1965 while visiting her sister in Paris, she met her husband-to-be, Jeffry Florentine, who was stationed there serving in the US Army. They married in Paris a year later and returned to the States where Jeffry attended college. After his being commissioned as an officer in 1972, they returned to Europe with their daughter, Natalie. For the next fourteen years the family traveled widely throughout Europe and the United States, during which time Gudrun worked as a volunteer dental assistant with the American Red Cross. After earning an associate degree in social services in 1986 from Pikes Peak Community College, Gudrun volunteered for the next ten years in Colorado Springs at the Center for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, advocating for battered women. She also continued to work as a dental assistant. After their retirement in 1998, she and her husband moved to Nacogdoches, where they built their present home. In 1999, she began her retirement career as a volunteer at Nacogdoches H.O.P.E. Gudrun, known by all as Goodie, was a team leader at H.O.P.E., passionately dedicated to reducing hunger in Nacogdoches while making sure there were always toys available for the young children who came through the door. Goodie was an avid gardener; her daffodils are blooming even now. She loved animals, loved to travel, and always had her nose in a book. But most of all she loved her daughter, her grandchildren, and her husband of 53 years.

Gudrun is survived by her husband, Jeffry; her son-in-law, Shawn Collins of Pueblo, Colorado; grandson Fletcher Collins of Pueblo; granddaughter Tirzah Collins and husband, Josh McCullough of Casper, Wyoming; sisters-in-law Judy Patch of Nacogdoches and Tirzah Florentine of Arvada, Colorado; nephew Joe Rusin of Conifer, Colorado; as well as various family members in Germany.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Natalie, and will be missed by her many colleagues and friends in Nacogdoches.

A private memorial service and interment in the family plot will be held in Worthington, Minnesota at a future date.

Donations may be made in her memory to Nacogdoches H.O.P. E., 2100 E. Main Street, Nacogdoches TX 75961.