Denease McDaniel Hollifield, age 77 of Shelby, North Carolina died Sunday, April 12, 2026, at Hospice House in Forest City.  Denease was born on September 16, 1948, in Rutherford County and she was a daughter of the late Reverend Charles Raymond McDaniel and Sarah Butler McDaniel Melton.   She worked in several jobs over her lifetime, at Burlington Industries at the J.C. Cowan Plant, A&E Plastics, Cleveland County Department of Social Services and finally at Bank of the Ozarks. 

She was a member of Drury Dobbins Baptist Church. As a musician and pianist, she played piano in several music groups and at Forest Lake Baptist Church and Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church. 

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her step-father, Dewitt Melton, and her sister, Cathy Whitmire.

Survivors include her sons, Robert “Bobby” Hollifield and wife Julie of Bostic, Chuck Hollifield and wife Sandy of Forest City, her sisters, Charlene Lee (Billy), Sandra Lane (Don), Janie Doty (Peyton), and Pamela Upton.  There are also four grandchildren, Christopher McCurry, Amber Radford (Mikey), Savannah Hollifield (Nate), and C.J. Hollifield, as well as a great-grandchild, Braelyn Davis, and her very special friends, B.J. Earl, and Libby and Dave Parton.

A Memorial service will be held 2 o’clock on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in The Padgett and King Chapel with the Reverend Ronald Roberts officiating.  Visitation will be from 5 until 7 o’clock on Wednesday evening at The Padgett and King Mortuary.  Private interment for the family will be at Sandy Level Baptist Church Cemetery.

The Padgett and King Mortuary & Crematory is in charge of arrangements and an online guest registry is available at www.padgettking.com