Her and her husband wanted to get away from the big city and raise their kids in a smaller town. Dena has 5 children and 5 grandchildren.

Dena started volunteering immediately when she moved to Rainier. Hope of Rainier was the first of many along with Toy N Joy, REDCO and even did some softball coaching. Now she sits on the Planning Commission and has high hopes to move Rainier towards the future, but still keep its small-town appeal.