Dena C. Gaines, age 94, of Independence, Missouri, formerly of Warrensburg, Missouri, died Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Villages of Jackson Creek assisted living facility in Independence.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, at Sweeney- Phillips and Holdren Funeral Home in Warrensburg, with the Reverend Hubert Neth officiating.

A private graveside committal will be held. The family will receive friends from 1 p.m. until service time on Saturday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Parkinson’s Foundation and can be left in care of the funeral home.

Dena was the only child of Jim and Gladys (Miles) Cheeseman, born Nov. 12, 1923, in East Lynne, Missouri. She married T. Rawleigh Gaines on Sept. 30, 1943, at Scott AFB in Belleville, Illinois. Dena taught in a rural school while awaiting Rawleigh’s return from service as a B-17 radio operator during WWII. After the war, Dena and Rawleigh eventually settled in Warrensburg, where along with raising three kids she pursued higher education and a career as an elementary and special education teacher.

Throughout their lives, Dena and Rawleigh were active in the community through church and civic organizations. Dena was a life member of PEO. In 1986, they retired together and moved to the family farm near Peculiar, Missouri, where Rawleigh was born. They enjoyed 17 happy years on the farm working and playing together, Rawleigh on his tractor or in his work shop and Dena gardening or quilting. They loved entertaining family and friends and the farm was the gathering place for all occasions, including ice skating parties in winter and picnics, cookouts and fishing in the summer.

Dena was a loving and supportive wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was especially crazy about all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; she was at her happiest when they were around her. She often spoke of having lived a wonderful life.

Dena was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Rawleigh and daughter, Alice Ann. She is survived by her sons, Jim (Judy) Gaines and Tom (Nancy) Gaines; grandchildren, Jason (Tanya) Gaines, Jennifer (Casey) Renfrow, Shannon (Eric) Hatfield; great- grandchildren, Jack Renfrow, Ben Renfrow, Sam Renfrow, Sydney Weber, Slade Weber, Kait Hatfield, Josie Gaines and Jordan Gaines; and nephew, Steve Jung.