Hello,

I am Payton Murdock, Denise's Granddaughter. This GoFundMe page is in honor of Denise and her many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren that she has unfortunately had to leave behind on this earth.

There is a saying that goes "You are a different person to everyone you meet." So today, I can't tell you about what her friends thought of her (though I know they loved her dearly and she had some of the longest friendships ever!) or about the many lives my Grandma positively impacted, but I can tell you about the past 24 years that I've had the privilege of knowing and loving my Grandma.

To me, my Grandma was loyal, loving, funny, strong and talented (along with many, many other wonderful characteristics), the typical things most say about their loved ones. But I'm about to tell you how Denise Riddle is truly one of a kind.

Shortly before my grandma suffered her first stroke, I was having one of the hardest times of my life, going through health issues and life obstacles. The first place I went to once being discharged from the hospital was my grandma's house, and though I took over her couch for 3 weeks unable to walk and needed help with pretty much everything, my grandma never asked when I was going to go back home or complained that I took over her living room without even asking. She was just happy to have me around her. Unconditional loyalty and love. She loves without expecting anything in return, she loves when it's inconvenient and she always has your back, no questions asked. She was the type of person to have your terrible portrait drawing of her hanging right in the walkway for everyone to see. Even if I made her head 3x too big, she had cartoon eyes and two strands of hair (this is a portrait I made for her from when I was little to put it into perspective, it was NOT a good portrait) she still showed it off and it was one of the first things you saw on the wall when walking into her house. She was the type of person to have your favorite movies in her house to watch (my favorite to watch at grandmas was the Polar Express) and she was the type of person who would let you steal some of your grandpa's snacks after he went to bed. Denise wasn't just a great person to the humans she loved, she was this way with animals too.

My grandma took in so many animals, from dogs, to cats, to chickens, to turtles, to birds. My grandma saved not one but TWO injured crows. Yes, crows. Something the average person might be weirded out by or scared of, she embraced and loved wholeheartedly. That's just how she was!

Now most times, the words funny and strong wouldn't really mix together in the same sentence, but when it comes to her they do.

My grandma had a funny way of always being okay. Though I only know the surface of what she has endured in her 68 years of life, I know my grandma wasn't dealt with the best deck of cards.

Even then, she still found reasons to stay. During her time in the hospital, we were told she only had so much time, multiple times. Everytime, she beat those odds and proved the doctors wrong. Even in her last days, she held on longer than any of the doctors and nurses expected. She held on for everyone that she loved, until she got to talk to and see all of them. Trust me, that lobby was filled with so many people that she loved and who loved her right back. One of the staff said, "wow she must have been a special lady to have this many people here for her!" If they only knew!

My grandma's talent was unmatched. From making Halloween costumes, sculptures, mystical paintings to beautiful jewelry, my grandma could do it all. Denise Riddle was magical.

One of my favorite things about my grandma were her fairy gardens! She would create a whole world in one tiny garden for all the fairies to enjoy while flying through her yard. She was good at making you tap into your imagination and if there's one thing I have learned from my grandma, it's that there's magic everywhere, you just have to believe.

My grandma was nothing short of amazing. I hope that as you read this, you also felt the magic she has shown us. My grandma will be missed immensely and all I want is for her to have one good last celebration-a celebration of her life.

Thank you!