November 14, 1960 – June 22, 2025

A Bright Light Remembered…
Denise O’Connor passed away on June 22, 2025, due to complications following a long-awaited double lung transplant on April 15. The transplant offered a new beginning—a return to the breath, freedom, and fullness of life she had missed in recent years. With hope in her heart and courage in her spirit, she faced this chapter as she did all others: with grace, humor, and unshakable strength.
Denise was known not only for her striking outer beauty, but for the luminous light she carried within. Her deep love for family and friends was felt in every gesture, every conversation, every warm embrace. Her passing leaves an irreplaceable space in the lives she touched—a void filled by memory, love, and the enduring impact of her presence.
Denise was born on November 14, 1960, in Casper, Wyoming, to Lucille Schoenewald and Gene Graveman.
Denise raised her son Jonathan in the Eagle Valley and the Roaring Fork Valley, mostly as a single mom.
Denise married Roderick J. O’Connor on September 27, 1998, and on this coming September 27, they would have celebrated 27 years of marriage.
All who knew, loved, and respected Denise will miss her guiding light, her vibrant spirit, her dazzling laugh, and those all-seeing blue eyes that seemed to hold both tenderness and truth.
A natural healer, Denise spent over 30 years working as a massage therapist in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, where her intuitive hands and generous heart brought relief, peace, and renewal to many. For many years, Denise owned and operated Full Circle Massage.
Her passion for recovery and deep empathy for others inspired her to become a Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS). She recently became the owner and Director of Seven Cedars Training, LLC, a professional education center for addiction counselors, where she served as Director, mentor, and advocate for healing and growth.
She was also a gifted writer—her poetry and prose, revealed a rare ability to see and name the sacred in everyday life. Denise completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing in 2014. She did this while balancing the demands of her massage practice and commuting to Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her dedication to learning and service was matched only by her fierce intellect and sense of humor.
Denise loved music, especially bluegrass music. She believed in living with integrity and mindfulness, loving without hesitation, and celebrating with friends and family.
Denise is survived by her mother, Lucy Shoenewald; her sisters, Dottie (Nick) Villalobos and Donna (Dick) Ragsdale; her brothers, Tom (Sheila) Graveman and Tim (Erin) Graveman; also, her son Jonathan Stahlman, his wife Jennifer, and grandsons Jackson (12) and Lucas (10). Denise was preceded in death by her father, Gene Graveman. Denise also leaves behind Sunny, her beloved Norwegian Forest Cat.
She walked through life with an open and generous heart, leaving light wherever she went.
A celebration of Denise’s life is at the Old Thompson Barn in River Valley Ranch, Carbondale, on August 24, 2025, at 4 pm.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her name to: Pathfinders, A Way Out, and The Meeting Place in Carbondale.