Ashley Baganz

1976 - 2015

Ashley Dike Baganz, 38, passed away Thursday, March 26, 2015, surrounded by loving friends and family. Memorial service: 3 p.m. Tuesday at University Christian Church, 2720 S. University. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Ashley's name to The Black Dog Charity.com or Light The Night.com Fort Worth. If you have an item that is purple, please wear it to honor Ashley. Ashley was born Sept. 11, 1976, in Fort Worth to Barbara and David Dike. She attended Arlington Heights High School, where among many activities she was asked to counsel students in need. She was a cheerleader and voted most humorous. At TCU, she was a member of Tri Delta sorority. In 2006, she married Jason Baganz, and they have two beautiful twins, Blake and Tagg, 3, who are the light of her life along with Jason. She taught school for a living but she was constantly teaching the boys, her beloved nieces and nephews and so many of us. Ashley was known for her honesty and straight forwardness. People were drawn to her with her quick wit and dry humor. She loved planning get-togethers with family and friends. You know you could always just drop by her house. Her friends and family always looked to her for answers and direction. She would tell it like it was in no uncertain terms. Stricken with acute myeloid leukemia in 2007, she began her nearly eight-year fight with leukemia, joined by her family, many friends, fellow teachers, her Westpark Elementary family and many other caring people who heard of her fight against this enemy. Her courage and determination to win the war inspired a group of Ashley and Jason's friends to start the Black Dog Charity and sporting clay shoot benefiting Ashley and other charities. In 2014, she was the honored person in the annual Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk and was a television spokesperson for UT Southwestern where she received treatment from Dr. Robert Collins, head of Bone Marrow Transplant, and his wonderful team. Just recently she did a commercial for LLS and told her story. You can google Ashley Baganz and see her video. Ashley's struggle brought many people together to help her, a testament to the goodness and compassion of people and so doing has enriched our lives. During the last two months, she needed daily white cell donations and within a few days over 100 people joined with her family providing this life-extending treatment. To the people at Carter Bloodcare who worked so hard to provide great care to the donors and to the donors themselves, we are forever grateful. To have one more day, one more hour, one more moment with Ashley blessed us. "Ashley is the strongest person I have ever known" has been said by so many people. So many people were drawn to Ashley, young and old and many people considered her their best friend. You didn't ask Ashley a question unless you wanted an honest answer. Her main goal in the hospital these last few months was to get back to her boys and she fought hard to try to get there. Ashley was preceded in death by her grandparents, Noel "PawPaw" and Ellen "NaNa" Dike and Don L. Smith "Poppy"; cousin, Scott Dike; and aunt, Peggy Smith. Survivors: Husband, Jason Baganz; twin sons, Blake and Tagg Baganz; parents, David and Barbara Dike; maternal grandmother, Mary Adele "Dee" Smith; sister, Wendy Goff and husband, Jason, and their children, Greyland and Evan; brother, Brent Dike and wife, Annie, and their children, Knox, Chandler and Wells; in-laws, Dagmar Baganz, Paul Baganz and his wife, Barbara; aunts and uncles, Buddy and Sara Dike, Shirley and Jerry Houston, Donny and Jody Smith, Jan and Gene Raesz, Shelly and Cindy Smith. She had a very special relationship with her close cousins, David N. Dike and wife, Beth, Michael Dike and wife, Stephanie; Susanne Dial and husband, Jason, Shelly Houston McCormack and husband, Mack, Cindy Houston, Catherine Raesz, Clay Raesz and wife, Heather, and Stacy Pantuck and husband, Brad, and Jay Smith and wife, Elizabeth, Jacy and Kirby Smith; a special family member, Demetrius Mason; and a large, much-loved extended family.