Denise Packard

On January 16th, 2017, Heaven received another beautiful angel when Denise Lynn Packard lost her courageous battle with cancer. Denise was born December 20th, 1952 to Robert and Mary Melton in Tacoma Washington. The family moved to Yakima Washington in 1954 where she attended area schools and graduated from West Valley High School in 1971. In 1972 Denise married Robert Packard. In the early years of their marriage, she and Bob moved to South America where Bob would teach school and Denise would help in various ways at the school. She enjoyed their travels to Malaysia, Brazil and the Philippines. In 1978, Denise and Bob moved to Aberdeen where they would settle and raise a family. On August 10th, 1981, Denise gave birth to her daughter Sarah. Sarah was not only her daughter, but also her best friend. On July 1st, 1983 Denise gave birth to her beloved son, Justin. Justin always new how to make his mama laugh. Denise dedicated most of her life to her children and grandchildren, whom she loved dearly. She loved being a mom and grandma. Denise spent many hours in the kitchen canning, cooking and baking. Her homemade pies were a family favorite that everyone looked forward to during the holidays. She loved entertaining for family and friends. In Denise’s later years, she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren Josh, Emma, Madison and Ethan. They were the light of her life. Denise spent most of her working life in accounting, most recently retiring from Mid-Colombia Forklift. Denise is survived by her parents, Robert and Mary Melton; her son, Justin; her daughter, Sarah; her grandchildren: Josh, Emma, Madison and Ethan; her brothers: Steve (Carmen) Melton, Bob Melton, Dave (Jill) Melton; sister, Deborah Kirby; nieces: Tanya (Paul) Carney, Shannon (Justin) McClure, Nicole Melton, Athena (Jacob) Calamia; nephew, Tyler Kirby; numerous great nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and friends. A funeral mass is to be held Saturday, January 21st 2017 at 10:30 AM. It will be held at Holy Family Parish in the chapel located at 5315 Tieton Dr. in Yakima, Washington. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Denise Packard, please visit our flower store.