On January 6, 2022, Denise Bazar Grayson, loving wife and mother, passed away at the age of 74. She was born in Montgomery, Alabama to Dr. Philip Bazar and Helen Bowers Bazar. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Birmingham Southern College and a master’s degree from Florida Institute of Technology. Denise moved to Huntsville to teach French in 1969, where she met her husband of 50 years, Woodrow Grayson, Jr., on a blind date.
Denise was a fearless leader. At a time when there still were few women in business, she leveraged her creativity and tenacity to build a notable career as a marketing executive, receiving professional awards like Practitioner of the Year from the Public Relations Council of Alabama and Young Career Woman Award from the Metropolitan of Huntsville Business and Professional Women’s Club. She served as president of the Southern Public Relations Federation and Public Relations Council of Alabama. Denise also served as president of the Rotary Club of Greater Huntsville, becoming the first female Rotary president in Huntsville.
Her leadership extended to serving on the board of Girls Incorporated, where she enthusiastically supported building leadership skills in the next generation of women. She also served on the boards of Burritt on the Mountain and Girl Scouts. She was a dedicated member of Valley United Methodist Church, where she chaired Pastor and Parish Relations, and Alpha Chi Omega sorority.
Family and friends loved Denise for always speaking her mind, her kind heart and elegant Southern style. She extolled the value of personalized stationery, well-tailored clothes, and fine China, which she believed “always makes a gathering more special.” She also relished the opportunity to make new friends everywhere she went, be it grocery store or doctor office. In her free time, she enjoyed eating dessert as a meal, reading thousands of books, conquering crossword puzzles, making cracker toffee, writing poems for family holidays, and listening to her fellow Alabama native, Jimmy Buffett.
Denise is survived by her loving husband, Woody; two children, Todd Grayson (Melissa) and Allison Grayson (D.J. Hampton); sister, Adrienne Thompson (Bill); grandchildren, Andrew Grayson, Madeleine Hampton, and Grayson Hampton; six nieces and nephews; and her beloved dog, Pepper.
A graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 13th at Maple Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to Burritt on the Mountain, Valley United Methodist Church, or Girls Incorporated of Huntsville. For additional information, please contact Laughlin Service Funeral Home in Huntsville.
