Denise Fort, 72, of Ventura, California, passed away peacefully at home holding a beautiful purple flower with her daughter by her side on July 12, 2025. Denise was born in Santa Paula, California to Elmer and Mary (Owens) Kiser on April 17, 1953. Some of her elementary schooling was completed in Santa Paula, but due to her father’s job in the oil industry, she spent many of her childhood and teen years in exotic areas such as Barcelona and Burgos, Spain; Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa; Houston, Texas; and New Orleans, Louisiana. She always said she owed her grammar skills to her mother, Mary, who was her teacher by correspondence courses unless school was available. She did spend her sophomore year at Santa Paula High School and her family made it a point to return so she could graduate there in 1970. That same year, she married Glen L. Fort of Fort’s Automotive in Santa Paula. They spent most of their 26 years together in Santa Paula raising their daughter, Amanda Paige Fort-Seamon. At first, Denise was a stay-at-home mom while overseeing her parents home and business affairs as they continued to travel the world. She also worked as the Assistant Manager of the Gin Mill Restaurant in Ventura. Later, she spent many years working as board secretary and receptionist for Water Well Surveys which eventually became Westech, Inc. in Ventura.
In 1987, Glen, Denise, and “Mandi” moved to Ventura, California and shortly after, Denise lost her dear mom. A few years after Glen and his dad sold the shop in Santa Paula, Glen and Denise started an oil-related business themselves called Black Gold B.O.P. Products. Denise was the secretary and Glen did the sales. Denise also worked at the County of Ventura in the flood control department for a few years. In her free time, she greatly enjoyed cooking and entertaining family, old friends from Santa Paula, as well as the dear friends she made while volunteering for the Casa Pacifica Angels and the Ventura County Symphony League’s Design House. She loved going to concerts, listening to blues music, and collecting artwork. She was always open to making new friends and loved connecting people together. She enjoyed traveling through Europe with her daughter twice and spent lots of time at Solimar Beach in Ventura. Tragically in 1996, her husband, Glen, died from complications of a bone marrow transplant due to having a rare form of leukemia. Denise successfully carried on their business on her own for over 20 years. During that time, she not only fought and won a battle with stage four lung cancer, but she also lost her beloved dad.
In more recent years, the highlight of her life was spending time with her daughter and her two grandsons, Nathan (17) and Adam (13). It gave her great joy to see them grow up. She was proud of their accomplishments in school and sports, but mostly, she was impressed by their unique personalities, keen focus on their passions, and the love and care they showed. She often said how much she wished they could have known their grandfather because they all would have been “peas in a pod”. Denise was sensitive, fiercely loyal, responsible, hard working, and she had a great sense of humor bringing charm and laughter wherever she went. To say she will be greatly missed is an understatement.
Denise’s memory lives on through her family and friends such as her daughter Amanda Fort-Seamon (James Seamon) of Auberry, California; her sister, Karen Doble of Churchill, Montana; her grandsons, Nathan and Adam Seamon of Auberry; her nieces, Nancy Kremin of Granada Hills, Cheryl Wooten-Wilcox of Valparaiso, Indiana, Michelle Dotson of Churchill, Montana, Kristen Day of Auberry, and nephew, Matthew Kiser also of Auberry as well as many cousins and grandnieces and grandnephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Glen Fort; her parents, Mary and Elmer Kiser; and her brother Jeffrey Kiser. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families of Camarillo, California [Attention: Development Department, 1722 S. Lewis Rd., Camarillo, CA 93012]. Denise’s family is forever grateful to her friends who were faithful to call and chat with her and her nurses and caregivers who became her companions in her final year on this earth (Shari, Sandy, Patty, Rosario, and Elvia).
At Denise’s request, there will be no funeral services, and instead her ashes will be spread over a lake in Italy. Arrangements are under the direction of the BOYKO & REARDON TELEGRAPH ROAD MORTUARY & CREMATION, Ventura.