Denise Diane Blajszczak

Denise Diane Blajszczak, 71, of Casper, Wyoming passed away Tuesday, March 21st. She was born June 15, 1951 in Buffalo, NY to Joyce Abrams. She remained in Buffalo throughout her youth and into early adulthood. Throughout these years she spent most of her time with her horse, Hearts Mitten, traveling 60 miles roundtrip each day to ride and take care of her. She competed in dressage with Hearts Mitten for a number of years.

While traveling with a friend in 1977 she decided to look up someone she had met in Buffalo who had moved to Colorado. That someone was Rick Blajszczak - and once finding him she never left. They were married February 25, 1978. The two welcomed two children, Eric Jack in 1980 and Shawn Thomas in 1981. The family moved from Colorado to Gillette, WY before settling in Casper, WY in 1992. During this time, she also obtained a degree in Elementary Education from Black Hills State in South Dakota and enjoyed substitute teaching while the boys were in school.

Denise loved Wyoming for its wide-open spaces and beautiful mountains, her favorite being the Big Horns. She was known for taking long hikes and used this as a way to fine tune her husband and sons tracking skills, as they would often have to go locate her as the sun was setting. It was one of these hikes that afforded her the opportunity to meet some of the search and rescue responders in the Pike's Peak area. Rick became a donor to the organization shortly after that. The family spent numerous hours outside camping, skiing and visiting national landmarks and zoos across the country. Summers off from school were often spent on cross country road trips and to hear the boys tell it – they nearly perished from the heat as air conditioner use was minimized to reduce wear and tear on the car.

Antiquing was one of her most favorite past times and she knew every antique shop this side of the Mississippi. She always had room for one more antique, every surface in the house was fair game for just one more piece. On one occasion Rick had gone out to buy a side table specifically for his printer and after setting up went to move said printer only to find that his table had already been overtaken by antique vases. There were many trips for Rick and the boys to pick up an antique piece of furniture that she had found while traveling here or there.

Denise is survived by her husband Rick Blajszczak and their two fur babies Chance and Toby; two sons: Eric (Mandy) Blajszczak and Shawn (Jaimel) Blajszczak; 6 grandchildren: Austin, Micah, Trace, Kole, Kenlie and Tori; and sister Kellie (Mike) Bickenbach and two nieces: Grace and Kate. She is preceded in death by her mother, Joyce Abrams, and her brother Anthony Rossi, Jr.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in Denise's memory to Central Wyoming Hospice and Transitions or a zoological foundation of your choice.

Arrangements are under the direction of Newcomer Casper. To leave the family a special message, please select the "Share Memories" option.