Deena Lucero

Deena Lucero, 89 years old, of Virginia MN and Harlingen, TX, passed away from lung cancer Sept 13, 2023 surrounded by her daughters/family and partner Wayne Moen at their home in Virginia, MN.

Deena was born a twin with her brother Alva Jean Barlow on July 9, 1934 in Bowie, TX to Fred and Stella Barlow. She was raised on a farm until they moved to Ft Worth, TX when she was a teenager.

She married James Joseph (Joe) Mangan in TX in 1954 while he was attending Air Force Cadet School. Over the years they lived on many Air Force bases in CA, KS, AR, WI, NJ, MS, and both Cheyenne & Laramie, WY.  Deena was active in many Officers’ Wives Clubs and enjoyed entertaining in style. While in Cheyenne, Deena was a bookkeeper for Teton Insurance Company, and was one of the first in the region to be trained on an IBM computer for data processing in the 1960’s.

Deena was an active mother to her three daughters: Donna Edwards, Dede Hunter and Terri Dawson, attending their sporting and music events. She loved to play bridge and never met a stranger. Cheyenne Frontier Days and Parades were an absolute favorite, and each parade rider and spectator both could hear her enthusiastic “Howdy” as they rode by!    

Joe and Deena divorced in 1972 and she married Anthony (Tony) Lucero on a flight to Jamaica in 1974. They lived in Cheyenne WY and Denver, CO until his early retirement from Mountain Bell in the early 1990’s then began annual travels in their RV to and from Harlingen, TX while exploring every state during the summers.  Deena loved to hop on any cruise she could, sight-seeing all around the world. She and Tony loved to camp in the RV, especially in the Big Horn Mountains above Buffalo, WY and in the Sinks Canyon outside Lander, WY.

During the summers when they were in WY and CO, she and Tony attended their grandchildren’s activities. She always made the extra effort to beat her grandchildren at a game of Yahtzee or Sequence and had the greatest laugh while doing so. She was her children’s and grandchildren’s best and most animated cheerleader, enlivening spectators from both sides with her contagious laugh. Of course, she was always dressed to a “T” with matching earrings and necklace!

After Tony died in 2011, Deena spent her days in Harlingen until meeting  Wayne Moen at a community concert production.  Together they spent their winters playing cards, enjoying South Padre Island and entertaining friends. Hosting was like a love language to Deena. Any opportunity to gather, eat and laugh together was where you’d find her. In the summer, they went north to Lake Vermilion and Virginia, MN. Deena loved to fish and adored the cabin at the lake.

Deena had two passions in life: her family and traveling. Her life was filled to the brim with both.

She is survived by her children, Donna Edwards (Bill, deceased) Wheat Ridge, CO; Dede Hunter (Rick) Mesquite NV; Terri Dawson (Jim) Buffalo, WY and her grandchildren, Kiffany Boggess (Brandon) Denver, CO; Dane Thompson (Lindsey),Denver CO;  JR Hunter (April) Sheridan, WY: Brett Hunter (Kiki) Oldenburg, Germany; Jordan Hunter (Brandy) Lead, SD; Heather Shideman (Jeff) Dayton, WY; Ted Dawson, Buffalo, WY; Dale Dawson (Pete Freire) Cody, WY; 2 step grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren and 7 step great grandchildren.

Deena was preceded in death by her parents, husband Anthony Lucero, her siblings: Alva Barlow, Bonnie Irby, Dewey Barlow and Trixie Stopper.   

Donations in Deena's memory can be made to Special Olympics Wyoming c/o Cindy Thompson, PO Box 1160, Buffalo WY 82834. Please put “Johnson County Team” in the Memo line. Online donations can be made at www.sowy.org

Special Olympics Wyoming

Special Olympics Wyoming, Official Website for the Special Olympics in Wyoming

www.sowy.org

Be sure to specify “in memory of Deena Lucero”.

Memorial services will be held within the next month in Harlingen, TX .

Arrangements are with the Range Funeral Home in Virginia.

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