Natalie C. Deniz, age 68,
beloved wife, mother, daugh-
ter, sister and a respected
Madera educator, passed
away on Wednesday, Febru-
ary 17, 2010 following a
courageous battle with can-
cer.

Natalie was born in
Yancey, Texas, the daughter
of Pedro and. Susie Ro-
driguez. She moved to
Madera as a child where she
attended local schools, grad-
uating with the Class of 1961
of Madera Union High
School. Natalie later attend-
ed CSU Fresno where she
earned her Bachelor's De-
gree in Education in 1967.
She also attended the Uni-
versity of Valencia in 1970.

Natalie began her career in
education in the Madera
schools as a kindergarten
teacher in 1967 at the Dix-
ieland Elementary School
where she taught.unti11972,
followed by one year as a Mi-
grant Education Resource
Teacher. She taught at
Washington Elementary for
a year before moving into the
area of counseling at
Thomas Jefferson Junior
High School from 1975 thru
19'89. She concluded her
years as a counselor at
Madera Adult School, retir-
ing in 2005.

Her lasting impact on the
lives of her students will re-
main as a legacy of her dedi-
cation to education in
Madera. In addition to her
professional career, Natalie
shared her talents in many
areas in the community. She
was a long time member of
the Association of Mexican
American Educators, serv-
ing as President of the local
chapter in 1976. From 1995
to 1997 she served with the
Counselor Academy forMas-
tery. A devout Catholic, Na-
talie was an active member
of St. Joachim's Parish in
Madera, serving as President

of the St. Joachim School
Parents Club in 1982, a long
time member of the Young
Ladies Institute ( Y.L.I.) chap-
ter of the parish, serving as
President in 1977 and again
in 1993-94. Natalie's concern
for people led her to volun-
teer at the Holy Family
Table which provides meals
for the hungry. Her beauti-
ful smile and sparkly eyes
brightened the lives of those

she met. - 

Madera Tribune            --