Dianne Dentice's Obituary
Dianne Dentice, mother of two sons and longtime university professor, died Saturday after a long battle with liver cancer. She was 76.
Dianne's remains will be cremated. She has asked that her ashes be mixed with the ashes of her beloved dog, Clarence, which she has kept in a bronze box for several years. To state the obvious, she deeply loved the dogs and cats she cared for over the years.
Dianne's survivors include son Hunter Parks and his wife, Kassie; son Keller Parks and his wife Heather; step-son Cameron Parks and his wife Taylor;; two ex-husbands, Scott Parks and Phillip Luna; her brother, Buddy Copening; nephew Dustin Copening, and a wide array of close friends.
Dianne was born in Paris, Texas, on Nov. 11, 1949, to parents E. J. and Dorothy Copening. She was a drum major and a member of National Honor Society at Paris High School, Class of 1968. She moved to Denton, Texas, to attend Texas Women's University on scholarship from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). After two years, she transferred to North Texas State University.
It was the late Sixties, and she happily joined the ranks of beautiful hippie chicks in halter tops, cut-off jeans and Dr. Scholl's shoes. Her long, dark hair grew to her waist. She was whip-smart, gregarious and funny. She drew people to her like a flower that attracts honey bees.
Dianne earned an English degree and then embarked on a career of motherhood and pursuit of higher education degrees. Scott, her husband, was a newspaper reporter. They lived in Wichita Falls, Corpus Christi, Dallas and Columbia, S.C., as Scott pursued his career in journalism.
Along the way, Dianne earned a masters degree in Hospital Administration and became marketing director for several hospitals in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
But teaching was her passion. She went on to earn a doctorate in sociology and began teaching at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas, in the early 2000s. Her primary fields of study were race and gender. She became a leading scholar on white supremacy movements and was widely published in academic journals and was awarded tenure as a full professor.
Dianne was a lifelong Democrat committed to the idea that all people are created equal and deserve to live their lives free from discrimination. Spiritually, she was agnostic.
"Something is out there," she said recently. "I just don't know what."
The last 12 years of Dianne's life became a testimonial to the old cliche that life is not fair. She battled breast cancer to a draw, but six months of chemo-therapy and radiation treatment left their mark on her. In recent years, she devoted herself to the study of natural healing through homeopathic remedies.
Unfortunately, the cancer came roaring back this summer and invaded her liver. This spelled the beginning of the end. Last week, tired and emaciated, she gave up the fight and entered hospice care. She died at 5 a.m. Saturday.
Dianne asked that everyone remember her by donating to animal rescue organizations. Her four cats -- Oliver, Maybelle, Sushi and Spooky -- miss her terribly.
What’s your fondest memory of Dianne?
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Share a story where Dianne's kindness touched your heart.
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