Denise Charlotte Barrett

Denise Charlotte Barrett passed away peacefully at home on May 24, 2025, from complications of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). She was surrounded by her loving wife Sue Ritter, sister-in-law Mary Ritter and many of her closest friends.
Denise was just 65 years old, but she managed a century's worth of love, laughter, and living during those years. Since their meeting in 1991, Sue and Denise began a very happy and devoted life together, eventually settling in Jarrettsville, and marrying in 2013. Denise enjoyed gardening, hiking, camping, fly fishing, kayaking, and spending time with family and her close-knit group of friends. She was an ardent animal lover, having had many dogs and cats and she was also an avid sports fan and enjoyed playing games of all kinds. Denise became increasingly interested in painting and arts and crafts after she became ill, producing an impressive catalog of works.
Denise was born and raised in Baltimore City, attended the all-girls Western High School and eventually Loyola College. Continuing her education, Denise earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Maryland and a law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law. She was proud to report that she had also served as a pharmacy technician and a cashier before she received her fancy, advanced degrees. Some of her academic honors included:
Univ. of Baltimore School of Law J.D. summa cum laude, 5/1989 Law Review member
Univ. of Maryland School of Social Work M.S.W., magna cum laude, 5/1983
Loyola College, Md. B.A., Sociology, summa cum laude, 5/1981, National Jesuit Honor Society
As a social worker, Denise served with the Maryland Committee for Children, helping to keep Maryland's most vulnerable citizens safe. She went to law school to acquire more skills to support that cause.
After law school, recognizing that the injuries suffered in childhood often manifest in adulthood, Denise joined the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland. Her career in indigent defense spanned more than 30 years. During that time, Denise specialized in appellate advocacy, death penalty litigation, and federal sentencing, and she became a national expert in the Sentencing Resource Counsel Project.
Denise was a brilliant and committed advocate, as well as mentor to a generation of attorneys. Her nickname within the Federal Public Defender was "Big Brain" because she was the smartest lawyer anyone knew. She was an incredible resource for the entire office. Most importantly, she was an unwavering advocate for every client.
Denise was especially proud of her work fighting the death penalty, including for a client who was eventually pardoned by President Biden, another who's capital charges were reduced enough that he has since been released from prison, and for fighting against the Maryland death penalty, which was abolished in 2013.
Denise testified before the United States Sentencing Commission, and her work as Sentencing Resource Counsel influenced changes affecting the sentences of thousands of people who were incarcerated.
Denise was also a frequent lecturer on continuing legal education issues and published numerous articles on sentencing-related topics.
Although her career was important to her, Denise loved people most, and people loved her even more. Despite her many accomplishments, Denise was the opposite of pretentious or deceptive - she was genuinely compassionate, curious, honest, caring, non-judgmental and loyal.
She was a devoted daughter and caregiver for her parents, Leo and Lillian Barrett, who lived for many years with Denise and Sue and delighted in their daughters joyful and attentive care.
Denise is survived by her wife Sue, brother Ray Barrett and wife Jerri, brother Leo Barrett Jr. and wife Bonnie, nephew Leo Barrett III and wife Amanda, nephew Zachary Barrett, niece Brittany Barrett and her loving sister-in-law Mary Ritter who aided in Denise's daily care for several years, and a sea of friends and admirers.
A private celebration of Denise's life will be scheduled in the future. Those wishing to make a donation in Denise's memory, are invited to consider the Maryland Committee for Children – now the Maryland Family Network, https://act.marylandfamilynetwork.org/donate or the Sentencing Project, https://secure.sentencingproject.org./a/donation To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Denise, please visit our floral store.