Denise Michelle Balkcom

Proverbs 28 – 31:

Her children arise and call her blessed. Her husband also and her praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

First and foremost Denise was a believer and we know that she rests with The Creator and our loved ones that have departed us along the way. While she may have lost her physical battle to multiple myeloma, we take solace in the fact that she no longer has to fight and we are all joined today to celebrate her and the legacy she leaves behind. Denise was a daughter and a sister. A wife, mother and an aunt. A loyal employee for years before eventually becoming an employer to a crew that touched her life, more than they could possibly know.

Denise was born on July 13^th 1956 to Patrick and Virginia Quaid. The youngest of four siblings: Sue, Greg and Pat. She was born in Fullerton and spent most of her childhood in Orange County. Being the youngest of four children presented its challenges as the older siblings moved out of the house and on with their young lives. After her parents divorced it was often Denise and Virginia alone. A teenager’s relationship with her mother can often be rocky, as was the case here. A daughter to a working mother, Denise spent time with her siblings and friends but chose to move out with a girlfriend of hers at the age of 16. At the age of 18 the restaurant that she worked for presented the opportunity to relocate to Hawaii and she took it. It was in Hawaii that she flourished as an independent young woman. Hawaii would become a love to her. A location where she felt truly at home where she belonged. Anyone who was blessed to share time with her there would simply recognize this. Here she would meet Aaron and Kyle’s father Earl. She became pregnant with Aaron, and move back to California where she gave birth to him on February 3, 1979 at the age of 23. Kyle would follow on July 14, 1981. Her relationship with Earl would end soon after. Being back in California and new to Motherhood, her relationship with her mother Virginia would heal and the two of them became closer than ever as they mothered and grandmothered together. Denise worked three jobs to support her and the boys financially. She had an unbelievable work ethic. She was relentless in her efforts to provide for her family. It’s hard to believe that she had any kind of social life, but she must have because it was at this time that she met the love of her life Leroy Balkcom. The brother of a close friend of hers, they met and instantly developed a bond that would last until her last breath. They were married on August 27,1987 in Laguna Beach, CA. The two of them and the boys quickly developed a family unit. They both worked and shared responsibilities of getting the boys to school and practices for sports.

The 1990’s were very productive for Denise personally. She worked for Mercury Auto Insurance and made a name for herself within that company. There weren’t too many roles and departments that she didn’t take on successfully. She wore her achievements with pride. Her and Leroy moved the boys to Corona where they would grow roots and the boys would go to school. Denise continued to thrive professionally and would become a fierce advocate for her boys. There wasn’t anything that she wouldn’t do for them. Aaron and Kyle would most certainly put that theory to the test! She worked tirelessly, loved her husband and mothered her children with a grace produced by few. With the boys graduating school and moving out of the house towards the end of the decade Denise and Leroy entered a period in their relationship that became less about Aaron and Kyle and more about them. But if we’re being honest Denise would relish any opportunity to mother her boys and these boys would give her regular opportunities. In the early 2000’s Denise and Leroy would further grow their bond together. Unencumbered by the boys and their needs, their love intensified. They would routinely finish each other’s thoughts and sentences. In 2006 she was gifted the first of her grandchildren, Kyla. Being a grandmother seemed to reignite her love for being a mother. By the time AJ and Hendrix would come along she was a fully formed grandmother bear, ready to step in and give love and protect at a moment’s notice. Shortly after Kyla’s birth Denise and Leroy would leave Corona and move to Temecula. Her career became a casualty of the economic downturn as companies realized that they could fill positions with younger people earning less and move on from their more established employees and high earners. This was an extremely troubling thing for her to deal with as she had over 20 years of service with Mercury. The financial uncertainty was hard on Denise and Leroy, but as was a common trait with Denise she handled it with grace. She took a job with a medical billing company making significantly less money. She quickly became an important person to this company giving the same Denise effort she had given to Mercury year in and year out. Learning the business it wouldn’t take too long before she opened her own medical billing company that would be the crowning professional achievement of her life. The responsibility she had for this company and her employees mirrored her parenting style. Fierce and formidable, the business provides for her, Leroy and the families it employs.

On June 19^th 2018, Denise and Leroy would renew their vows in Maui surrounded by her now fully formed family: Kyle and Jen pregnant with Hendrix, Kyla and AJ, Aaron and Heidi along with several other loved ones and family members. Drenched in sunset and love, she recommitted herself to her life partner in a beautiful ceremony on the beach.

In February on 2019 she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and gave her cancer a run for its money. She fought with a ferocity and fortitude mixed in with her trademark grace becoming her own health care advocate, while under Leroy’s loving care.  On February 12^th her body succumbed to her illness and joined her heavenly father.

Funeral arrangements were entrusted to England Family Mortuary, Inc.