EAST AUBURN – Denise J. Fraser died peacefully at her home in East Auburn on July 5, 2019. She was 65.

She was born and raised in Lewiston, the daughter of Gerard and Irene Roy. She married Barry Fraser in Auburn on Oct. 2, 1976, and was thereafter a lifelong resident of Auburn.

Denise was a resilient, strong-willed woman with a soft heart. From the smallest beetle to the mightiest wolf, she was a friend to creatures of every sort – especially her cats and dogs, which she loved with her whole being. She was intuitive and knowledgeable about plants and herbs, and had a career as a gifted floral designer. She delighted in the mythological and the fantastic, from the books of Mervyn Peake and Mary Stuart to the paintings of Maxfield Parrish, and if you had a weird story, Denise would be all ears. Always at home by the water, she loved to swim, sit by the lake, or walk the shores of Popham Beach. She came from a large family and enjoyed holiday gatherings and summertime lobster feasts. Inquisitive and curious, she was always up for a ramble down an interesting looking path; no sign or barricade would hold her back. Denise loved patchouli, but wore Exquisite Rain for her husband. She was perpetually barefoot, found joy everywhere in the natural world, and taught her children to do the same. She had a playful sense of humor, and a beautiful grin.

She was predeceased by her parents and an elder brother, Julien Roy.

Denise is survived by her husband of 43 years, Barry M. Fraser, of Auburn; a brother, Nel Roy, and his wife, Annette, of Lewiston; a sister-in-law, Claudette Roy, of Poland Spring; many nieces and nephews on the Roy family side; a son, Ethan Fraser, and his fiancée, Linda, and her daughters, Jordan and Monica, of Auburn; a daughter, Skye Macalester, and her husband, Shawn, of Portland, Ore.; and a granddaughter, Oona, also of Portland, Ore., of whom she thought the world.

The family plans for a small private service and celebration of Denise’s life in the fall.

Goodbye, Des – Mama – Grammie. We will miss you every day, and see you in the stars every night.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to Defenders of Wildlife (https://defenders.org), an organization of whose mission and work in wolf conservation Denise was a passionate supporter.

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