Denise Olivia Peters

Denise was born May 8, 1952, in Springfield, MA. Her parents, Miriam P. Olmstead and John N. Olmstead, moved to the Bronx, NY, where Denise graduated from Evander Childs High School.

After studying at the renowned Barbizon School, Nesi – as she was called by many – worked as a model, then for Arista Records as an administrative assistant. Her parents moved to Southern California, and Denise followed, settling in Orange County. Denise worked in administrative support and analyst roles for several organizations, including eight years at Boeing Co. Denise then was hired as a supervisor for Goodwill Industries.

After living in Oklahoma for two years, Denise returned to California in 2016, settling in Palm Springs and joining Desert Regional Medical Center as a security officer. After recovering from a stroke in 2017, Denise moved to Redding, CA. She worked briefly for the Shasta County Probation Department, then for North State Security, retiring in 2025. She met and married David Peters; he passed away in 2023.

Denise was a passionate advocate for social justice. In Redding, she regularly attended government meetings and joined the Shasta Equal Justice Coalition and the local chapter of the ACLU. Ultimately, she would become co-chair of both organizations.

Denise was adventurous, fearlessly diving into new experiences. She traveled extensively in the United States, and visited countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. Among her varied interests were rock collection, tarot-card reading, and belly dancing. Denise even wrote a play, apparently never produced, but archived in the New York Public Library in the 1990s as part of the Negro Ensemble Company collection.

Denise is survived by her brothers, Raphael Anthony (Tony) Olmstead and Larry Olmstead; her beloved nieces and nephew, Nyasha Olmstead, Teneyah Olmstead, and Jordan Olmstead; sisters-in-law Michele Chandler and Pamela Olmstead; and numerous cousins and friends.

Arrangements are at Lawncrest Chapel in Redding, where a private family service will be held. A public Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.