Patricia Ann Parish passed on to her God and Maker on Sept. 11, 2012 at her home in Pine Cove, Calif., after treatment for 13 months at USC’s Norris Cancer Center in Los Angeles.
She served in missions in Ethiopia as part of the U.S. Peace Corps from 1962 to 1964 and in 2006. For eight weeks in 2005, she volunteered with FEMA as part of the U.S. Crisis Corps in Arkansas during the Katrina disaster.
She has served Idyllwild in many ways, one of which was chairperson of the Independence Day Parade for 10 years and the 2012 Grand Marshal of the parade. She traveled on medical missions in four countries and five states of the USA. President Bush awarded her the U.S. Service Award in 2006 for Community Service. She had given over 20,000 hours of service at that time. Pat was always for the poor and victims of poverty as she was a victim early in life.
A native of Milwaukee, Wisc., Pat was married for 48 years to Bob Parish of North Carolina. She was an English educator for 36 years. Following her retirement in 1995 she was a cast member at Disneyland. Pat’s book, “13 Months of Sunshine,” tells of her service in the U.S. Peace Corps. One of nine siblings, she is survived by a brother, Ronald in Michigan, and a sister, Marilyn in Boston.
Internment will be 3 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28, at Rose Hills in Whittier, at the Santa Clara 2 Crypt (entrance #14 off the 605 freeway). Patricia’s memorial service is 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Idyllwild Community Presbyterian Church.
In lieu of flowers, Pat wished that donations would be sent to the Heifer International Charity at P.O. Box 8058, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203-8058, in “Honor of the late Patricia Parish.”