Willa Dene KaferSan AngeloWilla Dene Kafer, 93, of San Angelo went to be with the Lord on April 11, 2017. Services and burial will be at Prairie Grove Baptist Church and Cemetery in Limestone County at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 13, 2017, Rev. Clifton Jones will officiate.Willa Dene was born on Nov. 4, 1923 in Roby, Texas to O.D. and Anna Knox. The Knox family included twin sister Glenna Gene and older sister Ollene. The girls enjoyed growing up on the family farm east of Roby that produced cotton and cattle. Raised in a Christian home, she loved the Lord and accepted him as her Savior at the age of 10 and afterwards was baptized along with her twin sister in the Clear Fork of the Brazos. Later she would say in a testimony that, "He has never let me down or left me all alone and He gives me hope as I face each day. Jesus loves me."Willa Dene excelled on the Roby High School girl's basketball team that played its games on outdoor courts. After high school she enrolled in a business college and later married Edward Kafer of Roscoe on April 25, 1952. They met while she was a waitress at the Silver Spur Restaurant in Roby. After cotton farming near Roscoe during the dry years in the 1950s, the family, now consisting of two sons and a daughter, moved to the Olin community near Hamilton where they purchased a stock farm to raise Angus cattle. In 1965 the Kafers moved to Gatesville where both Ed and Willa Dene were employed by the Texas Youth Commission. Eventually Willa Dene was able to realize one of her early dreams, that of moving back to Roby and owning the Silver Spur Restaurant. They owned and operated the restaurant a number of years before retiring to Bronte and later San Angelo.When time allowed, Willa Dene loved sewing, crocheting, and writing poetry. She could compose a poem for nearly any occasion, especially those pertaining to family. She, along with her mother and sisters, also enjoyed quilting. Near and dear to Willa Dene were the churches she and the family attended. She particularly appreciated the love and support of the members of Live Oak Baptist Church in Gatesville during the children's formative years. Her lifelong love of hymns and old gospel tunes was a great source of inspiration and encouragement to her as her trust in the Lord held firm. A Christian legacy she leaves behind is that each of her children, grandchildren, and their spouses are all professed believers in the Lord.Besides her parents, Willa Dene was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years and her sisters. She is survived by her son Gary Kafer and wife Mary; daughter, Judy Hurst and husband Paul; son Jim Bob Kafer and wife Becky; grandchildren, April and Scott Eagan, Michelle and Curtis Ridenour, Matt and Jessica Hurst, Kylen and Amanda Kafer, Clayton and Bailey Kafer, and Canyon Kafer; and great grandchildren, Aubrey Ridenour, Coleston Hurst, and Madeline Kafer.Memorials may be given to Gatesville Care Center, Senior Care of San Angelo, or Meals for the Elderly in San Angelo. The family is appreciative of the tireless support and loving care provided not only by the excellent nursing staff at Senior Care but also by dedicated and devoted friends and family.Family and friends may sign an online guestbook at johnsons-funeralhome.com