Denise D Biarnesen

Beloved wife of the late Ken Biarnesen for 47 years. Loving mom of Dawn (the late Bob) Deason, Bobbi (Jim) Siver, and Mike (Vicki) Biarnesen. Dear Grandma of Andy, Danielle and Kevin Siver; Robert, Mark and Katie Deason; Caitlin Oliva, and Christian Biarnesen. Great Grandma of Kayla, Mackenzie, Lorelai, Griffin, Carter, Duncan, and Castlyn. Sister of the late Bill Downie. Denise was cherished by many other family and friends, and touched the lives of all that knew her.

Denise graduated from Waukegan High School in 1956, and went to work at Fansteel for the summer to earn money for college. She met Ken Biarnesen there, fell in love, and they were married that fall (no college!) Denise and Ken had 3 children in 4 years, and shortly thereafter, she went to work at Abbott Laboratories on second shift so the kids did not have to have a babysitter. She balanced being a committed wife and mother alongside being a dedicated employee. She worked up through the ranks at Abbott, exhibiting tireless energy and commitment, finishing her career as an HR specialist in Abbott’s Hospital Products Division.

Denise retired from Abbott Laboratories in 1993, after 30 years of service. She was a joiner and a leader, holding executive positions in the Abbott Laboratories Retiree Club, Little Fort Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Lac des Illinois chapter of the Colonial Dames, Southern Hills Homeowners Association, Abbott Women's Golf and Bowling Leagues, and the Reunion Committee for the Waukegan High School Class of 1956.

Denise's loves were family, friends, church and travel. She and Ken enjoyed annual fall trips to Minnesota for fishing, vacations with their children and grandchildren, trips to Las Vegas with her Waukegan High School classmates, snow birding at Rice Creek Park in Florida, and her membership at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Wadsworth and Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Gurnee.

Her children want to thank her Oncologist, Dr. Nick Campbell, and the staff of NorthShore Kellogg Cancer Center, for their loving support of Mom through 7 extraordinary years since diagnosis with stage 4 NSCLC, as well as the staff of NorthShore Hospital Hospice for their exceptional support and care over the last 2 weeks of Mom’s life.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Denise’s memory can be made to the NorthShore Kellogg Cancer Center https://foundation.northshore.org/donatekellogg), St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/give.html), or your preferred charity.

Memorial Visitation will be held Wednesday, July 22, 5-8 PM at Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N Cemetery Rd, Gurnee. Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, July 23, 10:00 AM at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, 6401 Gages Lake Rd, Gurnee.

In consideration of the safety of our guests and associates, Marsh Funeral Home will adhere to the current gathering restrictions in the state of Illinois, which allow 50 or fewer guests at services. Proper social distancing must be practiced and all guests will be required to wear face masks at all times. Thank you for your cooperation.

Social distancing will also be followed at the funeral mass at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. All guests will be required to wear face masks, and will be seated by ushers, maintaining social distancing between household groups or individuals.

For funeral info: MarshFuneralHome.com or 847-336-0127.