Gaynell Piazza Dudenhefer (1939–2023)

Gaynell Piazza Dudenhefer, who in the 1980s and 1990s managed the bookstore at State Technical Institute at Memphis (today, Southwest Tennessee Community College), died on January 5, 2023, after a brief illness. She was 83.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Gaynell graduated from Nichol l s High School in 19 57 and began working at Maison Blanche, a grand department store on New Orleans's famous Canal Street. In 1958, she married the young man who lived three doors down from her on the 1400 block of Frenchmen Street, John Paul Dudenhefer, a high school English teacher. Over the next twelve years, she and John had four children. In 1970, her husband accepted a job as an English instructor at State Tech, moving Gaynell and their children to Memphis—a move that in the long run proved to be an excellent decision but in the short run broke Gaynell's heart ("I was leaving my family in New Orleans behind," she often said). Still, she made a new home in Memphis. She saw her first snow, and she soon started working at the old Lowenstein's department store, on Main Street.

In the mid-1970s , Gaynell started working in the bookstore at State Tech. Beginning as a sales clerk, Gaynel l worked her way up, and in 1979 was made the manager of the store and eventually earned an associate's degree from the school. She worked at State Tech until 2000, when she and her husband retired to Hardy, Arkansas, where they had built a house. She and her husband lived in Hardy until 2018, when they returned to Memphis.

Gaynell was an avid fan of the New Orleans Saints (especially Drew Brees ) and of Elvis Presley, whose music comforted her in her final days. She loved the new Elvis movie and thought Austin Butler did a superb job playing the King. On the day Elvis died, she went to all the record stores in Memphis and bought every Elvis album she could find , fighting back tears at every stop along the way .

She also loved West Highland white terriers and had three of them over the years: Daisy, Elvis, and Bella.

Gaynell's husband, who was a longtime instructor and administrator at State Tech, died in March 2022. Gaynell is survived by four children—Paul, Paulette ("Mimi" ; husband Terry ), David (wife Jen) , and Diane; six grandchildren—Haley, Taylor, Logan, Hannah, Kelcie , and Erin; three great-grandchildren—Nolan, Zoe, and Dallas; a brother, Chris Villa (wife Linda) , of Slidell, Louisiana; a sister, Elizabeth Michel (husband Guy) , of Laurel, Mississippi ; and her beloved dog, Bella . She was preceded in death by her parents, Marie and Charles Villa , of New Orleans, Louisiana .