While many Waterloo High School students and faculty ready themselves for another academic year, a hole is sure to be felt in the school following the death of a longtime and beloved teacher.

Dena Yearian passed away July 23 following a two-year period of teaching whilst facing terminal cancer.

Born in nearby Red Bud, Dena always found home in Monroe County.

She attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale to receive an undergraduate degree, moving to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to receive her masters.

Prior to her time at SIUE, Dena left her first husband and took sole custody of her three girls, Taylor Echele, Whitney Jones and Mariah Henry. She cared for them while working full-time and pursuing the masters degree.

Echele spoke with immense fondness and respect for all the work Dena managed to do when she was taking care of the three of them.

She stressed how her mother only ever missed one soccer game of hers when she was especially little, but beyond that, Dena made it a point to attend each and every extracurricular activity her daughters participated in, demonstrating the boundless love and energy that would persist for the rest of her life – including in her teaching career.

“She really had to start all over with the three of us,” Echele said. “She had us full-time, and you would have never known it. Coming from a house with only one parent, she filled the roles of mom and dad exceptionally, without hesitation, without skipping a beat.”

In 2001, Dena met David, who was similarly divorced and caring for three daughters of his own.

With their children becoming friends, eventually Dena asked David out, and the two began a relationship that culminated in their marriage in 2012.

David and Echele spoke to Dena’s character as a wife and mother, describing the immense love she had for her family.

Echele in particular described how Dena’s “always show up” ideal stayed true well after her daughters stopped playing soccer in school, specifically noting how she happily stayed in a car by herself for several hours while Echele took her licensed clinical social worker exam simply so her daughter wouldn’t have to go alone.

As Echele further said, Dena’s love persisted to her grandchildren.

“She was over the top and has remained over the top even through my own children,” Echele said. “When she became a grandma, I think it was by far her favorite role, and it showed.”

Echele and David each went on to offer a number of anecdotes or details to further describe the sort of passion, love and energy that Dena brought to her family and those around her.

Echele said that, during one of Dena’s several stays in the hospital following her cancer diagnosis, her sister woke up in Dena’s room and said she was cold, only for her mother to offer to get up and fetch her a blanket.

David offered a story about how Dena, again, following her diagnosis, noticed that an older woman in the community was ill and made a point to bring flowers to her doorstep.

He also described one instance where the two came across a dog walking along the middle of the road. An oncoming driver had stopped to try and catch it, and Dena, once again, following her diagnosis, followed suit, chasing after the dog to make sure it stayed safe.

“She was the best,” David said. “She was the best wife, she was the best mother, she was the best teacher, she was the best friend.”

Dena brought the same degree of love and energy to her time as a teacher, as countless students and peers – including Waterloo High School teacher Maggie Partipilo – can attest.

Dena worked for a time outside the community in Marissa, but most of her teaching career was spent at WHS.

Partipilo recalled how they met, with Dena, as a special education teacher, offering advice about working with students. The two hit it off immediately.

Partipilo offered much perspective regarding how Dena cared for her peers, from joking and pranking one another to keeping spirits up, to regularly offering snacks or full-blown gift baskets as needed.

She also shared a small book that was put together by Dena’s friends and coworkers following her cancer diagnosis.

Among the many anecdotes in the book are fond memories of bouquets and other gifts, praise for her endless positivity and admiration for her kindness toward others – especially for her students.

Partipilo summarized Dena’s kindness, recalling a past award program within the school district.

“There’s an award that the principal of each building – they started it one year, it’s called the Human Award – the principal of every building was allowed to pick somebody that’s, like, the best human in the building,” Partipilo said. “And, of course, Dena got it. And then the next year that they did it, all the other principles went through, and Lori gave it to Dena again, and no one had a problem with it.”

Partipilo further spoke about Dena’s passion for her students, from kind interactions in the halls to her constant work doing homebound teaching, meeting outside of school with students unable to attend regular class.

“I don’t know how she had enough room in her heart for the love that she gave to her grandkids, to her kids, to her students, to her friends, to her family,” Partipilo said. “I honestly don’t know.”

David reiterated on Partipilo’s praise, saying he couldn’t quite believe how much her students cared for her at first.

“When we first started going out, kids would come out and tell her their story like after they got out of school,” David said. “‘Oh, I went to college, I got a job, I got married.’ And I thought at first it was kinda just like a fluke, but then this happened countless times.”

As with her love for her family, Dena’s energy for her students never ceased even as she dealt with her diagnosis and severe bouts of illness over the last two years.

Echele and David spoke about how Dena insisted on never missing school, leaving her with a tremendous number of sick days at the time of her diagnosis.

Indeed, David remarked she might have been able to retire two years early given her attendance – not that she would have wanted to.

Dena retired this past May with 40 sick days remaining.

Partipilo similarly attested to Dena’s dedication as a teacher even during her struggle with cancer.

While there were talks among administration about having Dena retire sooner, Partipilo said this ultimately wasn’t done considering how it would have simply been a punishment for Dena to be away from her students.

Dena’s loss leaves a tremendous void in the community.

David described the grief he and the family have been grappling with over the last few weeks, stressing the importance of focusing on their fond memories of her.

“The only way through grief is through it,” David said. “We just have to keep remembering the happy memories that we all had with her. Her laugh was so big and so strong.”

Those who knew her, be it students, friends or family, are left with far more than just memories, however.

“As her daughter, I can tell you that I have no idea how I will move forward without her,” Echele said. “She was a part of every single aspect of my life. She was truly my biggest motivator, my biggest supporter. She was consistent, she was a force of stability. She never didn’t show up, and I think that that is something, as a mom now, that I know I try to keep going.”