Remembering Denise: Help Us Celebrate Her Life

My name is Brooklynn, and I’m the oldest child of my mom, Denise Nicole Bowling Grice.

After a lifetime of struggling with the weight and depth of her emotions, my mom tragically took her own life in September of this year. Left behind are her four children - myself, 24; Rhegan, 19; Bricsun, 13; and Neilah, 9. My mom was so incredibly full of love to offer. She was smart, funny, poetic, and beautiful in every capacity. Our “social butterfly” as she would say. Unfortunately, she had a lot of dark moments too, became estranged from family and friends, and she struggled to find her happiness. The majority of her life she suffered from mental health, substance abuse, and the never-ending cycle of desperately wanting happiness, but the inability to bare the immense amount of demons she faced. The one part that never wavered was her love for her children or her desire to be with her family. She was an intensely complicated person, but losing her this way is never something any of us thought would be a reality.

With all of that being said, I’m creating this fundraiser with the intention to help offset the costs involved with direct cremation and a proper memorial service for the family and friends who loved her deeply. I’m hoping to help make these next steps even a sliver easier for both myself and our family. Any and all help is sincerely appreciated, whether that be a donation in her honor, or simply spreading the word, or sharing any memories you may have with her. Thank you for taking to time to read this, too.

We still do not have a time or place set for a memorial, but that will be updated as soon as possible.