Denise L. Wallace

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, THE FAMILY REQUEST DONATION BE MADE TO PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE A.M.E. ZION CHURCH IN MEMORY OF OUR DEAR DENISE WALLACE. After a lengthy illness and a hard-fought battle, the Lord called His precious daughter, Denise LaVerne Wallace, home to rest on November 24, 2016. Dee, or Duchess as she was known to her family, was born on November 28, 1954 to the late Sylvester Wallace and the late Maureen Hooker Wallace in Baltimore, Maryland. She made her transition to glory quietly in her sleep at Seasons Hospice Inpatient Center, also in Baltimore, Maryland. Duchess accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior at an early age and joined Pennsylvania Avenue A.M.E. Zion Church where she attended Sunday school and served as a youth usher. While she had not been very active at Zion in recent years, it was one of her last requests that her celebration of life be conducted at the church where her family had worshipped over the last 80 years. Dee was educated in the public schools of Baltimore. After receiving her high school diploma from Forest Park High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Morgan State University in 1976. She used her academic background to pursue a career as a social worker with Baltimore City, first with their mobile unit as a career counselor, helping people find jobs. She later worked as a legal assistant with Baltimore City Department of Social Services to protect the vulnerable children of Baltimore. She often referred to her job as “snatching kids”. Denise also enjoyed a long part-time retail career at Sports Authority and Ollie’s where she made numerous lifelong friends. Her favorite pastimes were traveling, visiting different casinos with her close friends and a good game of pinochle. Dee never met a penny slot machine that she didn’t befriend and she had lifetime memberships at many casinos across the country. You could always count on a birthday card with a Powerball ticket or a scratch off included. She also immensely enjoyed shopping with her dear friend Brooke, who, in the end, spent countless hours at her bedside and advocated for her with the doctors and insurance companies, generally insuring that her final days were comfortable. While Dee never married or had children, she had a lot of love to give and collected people and animals everywhere she went - whoever needed a friend, a meal or a hug. She loved and spoiled her Godson, Geoffrey, from the day he was born. She delighted in her friendly NFL rivalry (Skins vs Cowboys) with family friend, Joe. She was a safe place – a big sister and confidante to her cousin Nikki. She was that special cool cousin to her young cousins RaHe, Ebony and Asiatic and a loving auntie to the children of her many friends and relatives. They could all count on Auntie Denise to take their side. Denise was there, to the rescue, whenever and wherever she was needed. She will be sorely missed by all those whose paths she crossed. She is survived by her aunt, Beverly Bell; her cousins, Nicole Bell and Nilene Harris; and numerous other loving family, long-time friends, and loyal co-workers.

Tributes

Denise L. Wallace

November 28, 1954 - November 24, 2016