Audrey (Johnson) Denton, 81, of Palm Beach, Florida, passed away on February 6, 2026, after a long illness. She was the beloved wife of Peter Denton.

Born in New Haven on May 7, 1944, and raised in Cheshire Connecticut, she was the only child of the late Helen and Ted Johnson. She grew up surrounded by her big Swedish-American family, attending a strict Covenant Baptist church, having fun with her cousins on a Haddem-area farm, and re-arranging the furniture in her parents' house, much to her mother's chagrin. Her parents brought her on trips around the US to see her cousin Connie Christenson, who was the "sister" she never had. Audrey's father, Ted, was a builder. They moved frequently when Audrey was a child, living in a house while her father built it for other people, then moving on to the next house when it was finished and sold. (This may have been the inspiration for her later volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity.)

When a teenager, Audrey's parents moved to Largo, Florida near Tampa. At the local high school, they put her in the top classes, because as she put it "I asked to write for the school newspaper. That probably impressed them." She wrote a column called "Audrey Views the News." She made friends and enjoyed going to Clearwater Beach. But her New England Swedish-American parents did not care for the weather and they moved back to Connecticut, where Audrey finished high school. Her mother Helen was the bookkeeper for Cheshire Academy, a local boarding school, and the family often had international students as Thanksgiving dinner guests. After high school, her parents encouraged her to stay local and get a job, but Audrey wanted a higher education and to see the world. Her high school was pushing her towards becoming a secretary, but she found information about colleges in the guidance counselor's office.

She graduated from Chamberlain School of Retailing in Boston, Massachusetts in 1964 and became an interior designer. Working for G. Fox & Company in Hartford, and later Paine Furniture in Boston, she had achieved her dream career, designing client's homes: Furniture, upholstery, wallpaper, and she really brought her A game to the window treatments. She also found time to travel, including girls' trip to Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. She took a longer trip to Europe with her childhood friend Rose Cocchiaro (now Rose Burton) which included stops from Italy to Sweden.

In summer 1969, Audrey and friends rented a house in Newport Rhode Island, where she met Peter Denton. Peter, with his new Harvard MBA, was working as a consultant on a navy contract and bored with his job. So he had plenty of time for Audrey and fun in Newport, sailing, swimming and cooking lobsters with Cathy & Don Bellenger and other friends.

The couple became engaged in October 1971. When Audrey took Peter out to dinner - as long promised - to celebrate her completion of the dining room of one of her biggest clients, Peter surprised her with a ring. The married on January 22, 1972 in New Haven, Connecticut. Despite Audrey's very Baptist parents, there was drinking and dancing at the wedding. Audrey's parents liked Peter, as they had long ago accepted that "they weren't going to get a Swede." Audrey and Peter had quit their jobs planning on a long honeymoon, first driving across the US, including skiing all winter in the Rockies, and then flying to Australia and Asia. Peter bought her skis as a wedding gift, and Audrey appreciated his patience in teaching her to ski. After Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and places in between, they returned to the west coast in June 1972, and drove back across the north of the country, camping and backpacking, with a visit to cousin Connie Christenson Knapp in Minnesota.

Audrey and Peter settled first in Sharon, Massachusetts and eventually in Cherry Hill, New Jersey where they raised their family while Peter worked in the family business, Denton Vacuum Inc. Audrey continued her career in interior design. She designed homes for local residents, with trips to stores and workshops, including Marmelstein's fabrics in Philadelphia, where she loved chatting with the staff and proudly took advantage of her industry discount.

Reflecting on her Baptist upbringing, Audrey wanted a religious home for her family, and settled on Trinity Presbyterian Church in Cherry Hill. The family would go to Sunday services, and then to the best bagel shop on the other side of town while Audrey quizzed Peter and the kids on the lesson from the sermon. The interior design project of which she was perhaps most proud was working with church leadership on a large addition to the church and updating of the sanctuary. Through the church, the family became involved with charities in Camden, New Jersey. This led Audrey to the local Habitat for Humanity, where she eventually became chair of the board. She was proud to be part of a team helping families get their first new home. She also gave time and effort to Urban Promise and Heart to Heart, helping kids and their families navigate life's hardships. She strongly supported Peter in his efforts to reform public education. In her volunteering and philanthropy, she believed strongly in "a hand up, not a hand out."

Audrey was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, friend, neighbor, cousin, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, and aunt. She welcomed so many into her home: family, bridge ladies, church ladies, neighbors, kids' friends, friends' kids, company staff, prospective hires, and foreign customers. Plus four-legged "friends": cats, kittens, lizards, other pets snuck in by her children, and animals the cats brought in dead or alive. She was a loving and devoted mom with a great sense of humor. She was proud of her kids, despite messes they created or bent steel on cars. She planned great vacations and took funny photos. After retiring from interior design professionally, she continued to practice it as a hobby, racking up an impressive collection of antiques. Retiring to Palm Beach, Florida, she spent her later years traveling the world, enjoying time with her family, and hiding chocolate from her husband.

Audrey is survived by her husband of 54 years, Peter, and their two children; son Keith Denton and his wife Lauren Candia Denton of Sequim, Washington, daughter Tracey Keij-Denton of New York, NY, four beloved grandchildren, Marea Michaela Denton (16), Sawyer Keith Denton (13), Quintus Denton Keij (16), and Siebo Denton Keij (14), cousin Connie (Christenson) Knapp of Edina, MN, sister-in-law Patricia Denton Saleh and her husband Adel Saleh of Santa Barbara CA, sister-in-law Judith Denton Jones and her husband Bill Jones of Hope ME, nephews Tarik Saleh (Elena Perez) of Los Alamos NM and Omar Saleh (Indi Riehl) of Santa Barbara CA, nieces Alison Denton Jones (Matt McKeon) of Somerville MA and Gwyneth Jones (Matt Eckelman) of Roslindale MA, and seven grand nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at the First Presbyterian Church, Broadway and Everett Street in Newport with a viewing from 11:30-12:30 and Funeral Service at 1:00pm. The service will be Livestreamed at https://fpcnewport.org/fpc-live-streaming/

Memorial donations may be made to the MLK Center (MLKccenter.org) of Newport, Rhode Island, or UrbanPromise (UrbanPromiseUSA.org) of South Jersey.