Delores Joy Parker

DELORES JOY PARKER  Sunrise - November 27, 1932 – Sunset - February 27, 2018   Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” If this is true, then Delores Parker made a great life. She was the most dedicated daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, mother in law and wife we could have asked for. We, her family and friends, grieve her loss and we very much appreciate your attendance today to celebrate her life.  Delores Joy Parker was born Delores Joy Diem on November 27, 1932 in Ronceverte, West Virginia. She was the first child of Frank Nelson Diem and Ruth Elizabeth Diem. She lived with her parents and younger sister Carol Diem Loudermilk until she graduated from Greenbrier High School with honors in 1950, and later moved to Washington D.C. Even though she left West Virginia and never returned to live there, she always loved and cared for her parents until her father’s death in 1985 and her mother’s passing at the ripe age of 97 in 2009  When she arrived in D.C. she went to work at Western Union Telegraph Service. This is where she met the love of her life and on August 31, 1957 she married Howard Edward Parker. In 2017 they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. In the United States where the average length of a marriage is 8 years, 60 years is an incredible feat by most anyone measure.  In 1957 America was a different place, churches, hotels, restaurants and housing availability was limited for my parents.  While my mother was a soft spoken woman, she was also a rebel for her time.  She was resilient and strong willed and she married the man she loved, Howard Parker at a time where most states would not marry them at all. She married a man that loved her until she passed.  She was a wonderful and devoted mother to their only daughter, Christal Parker Batey. She left Western Union and dedicated the next 15 years of her life to volunteering at schools, making dolls, helping sell school fundraisers, hosting birthday parties, baking cookies, and giving her daughter the most wonderful childhood possible.  There were trips to West Virginia, cook outs, marshmallow roasting, skipping stones on the river and a rope swing on a big oak tree.  It sounds like a scene from a movie but this was the magic that Delores Parker brought to the lives of her husband, Howard, and her daughter, Christal. Delores Parker loved to paint. If you have ever been to her home, you would have viewed the beautiful mural that spans the entire stairwell and connects to the painting that adorns the walls.  She also was an avid city gardener. She grew tomatoes, beans, squash and more.  She inherited her green thumb from her father, another wonderful gardener.  Her sister, Carol, continues the Diem tradition to this day. In 1978 she returned to work as a certified meeting planner for Federally Employed Women (FEW) and then with WAVE. She traveled the country coordinating large meetings until she retired in 1996 to take care of her first granddaughter, Jasmine Stokes.  She was quite the proud grandmother. Jasmine was where she shined; she took her on stroller rides, and taught her to draw.  She was quite busy in her “retirement;” she taught Jasmine to use a computer before she was two.  She also taught her to read and swim and supervised countless arts and crafts projects.  In 2003 a second granddaughter, Cynthia Batey, joined the fun and Delores’ “living classroom.” As the years passed and life became more hectic and the children grew, our roles and time spent together shifted and morphed. There was never any doubt in her family’s mind that Delores Parker was an ever present support, in times of life’s great achievements or crises.  Helping with tuition or class rings, buying gifts or coming over for holiday dinners, she was always there for her family.  As she aged and became slower there were things that she continued to enjoy.  She was never extravagant, she liked going to the Dollar Tree or Walgreens, and she enjoyed pancakes at IHOP.  She loved Scrabble, crossword puzzles and sweets. On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 Delores Parker passed away peacefully at Providence Hospital after a short illness. Greater than the sorrow from her death is the joy that she spread in her life. She was preceded in death by her parents Frank and Ruth Diem.  She is survived by her husband, Howard Edward Parker, her daughter Christal Parker Batey, Son-in-Law Joe Richard Batey III, Step –daughter Towarna Grooms, Granddaughters Jasmine Stokes and Cynthia Batey, her sister Carol Diem Loudermilk, a niece, nephews and friends.