Obituary of Bart Juliaan Agnes Marie Desender

With great sadness we are sharing that Bart Julian Agnes Maria Desender, 61, passed away on Friday, June 26, 2020. Bart was born in Roeselare, Belgium in September of 1958. He was the son of Karel Desender and Regina De Cauter, and had three sisters: Geertrui (Trudi) Desender Ralston, Goedele Desender and Ludwina Desender. Bart grew up in Roeselare, and came to the United States in 1977 to attend Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, and has lived in the area ever since. He was proud to be a first generation American. Bart was always into fitness and bodybuilding; he was on TCU’s swim team, and had the honor of being named “Mr. Belgium” by the International Federation of Body Building (IFBB) as their Heavyweight Champion for his home country, in 1984. Bart was the Fitness Manager at the Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas for 10 years where he trained celebrities, professional athletes, and club members. Bart had a passion for learning and was close to finishing his Doctor of Liberal Studies (DLS) degree at Southern Methodist University. He loved mentoring students and cared deeply about their success, both in the Kinesiology field and in life. Bart taught a large variety of classes at TCC, continued to personal train, and relished reading and creating. He never stopped seeking knowledge in all things, a truly bright individual that always fought to provide for his family while asking very little from anyone. He was a lover of nature, animals, and the Japanese art of growing bonsai trees. He believed any dream can be accomplished through education and consistent hard work. Bart was preceded in death by both his parents and sisters Goedele and Ludwina. Left to cherish memories of his life are: son, Richard Lewis Desender (Kate), daughter Regina Desender Calhoun (Joe), sister Trudi Desender Ralston (Michael and nephew Nicholas) former spouse and mother of their children, Barbara A. Mulley. Due to the current global pandemic, the adult children have decided to cremate their father’s remains and currently have no plans to hold a funeral ceremony. We have received so much amazing support during this time and will try to be available for conversations.