Vera Irene Parrish, 89, of Girard, Kansas, died at 4 a.m. Friday, February 10, 2023, at Westridge Assisted Living in Girard, Kansas.
Mrs. Parrish was born April 11, 1933, in Edison, Kansas, the daughter of Fred and Sadie Doss Simpson. She was a homemaker and retired cook for USD#246 in Arma, where she worked for 22 years. She was raised in Crawford County and attended Arcadia High School. She lived in the Cato-Arcadia area most of her life. She moved to Pittsburg in 1995 and later to Girard, where she lived for the past six years. She married John W. Parrish on July 29, 1950, in Girard, Kansas. Mr. Parrish preceded her in death July 18, 2020.
She was a member of the Arcadia Christian Church and later attended the First Christian Church in Pittsburg. Vera was a faithful woman. One who walked the narrow path of the Christian way. Though we mourn, we have hope that she has seen her Savior, Jesus. Her family meant the world to her and brought a smile to her face every time she saw them.
Survivors include two sons, Walter (Donnetta) Parrish of Sugarland, Texas, and Wayne (Christie) Parrish of rural Arcadia; a daughter, Janet (Mark) VanLeeuwen of Pittsburg; six grandchildren, Daniel Parrish, Angela King, Jenny Dugan, Tara Rogers, Brian Goins, Michael Goins; and fourteen great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, John, and seven sisters, Elsie Day, Ethel Russell, Mildred Michie, Neoma Pack, Freda Bertha Simpson, and twins Hazel and Helen.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at the Bedene Funeral Home in Arma, Kansas, with Jeff King and Pastor Randy Beeman officiating. Burial will be at the Girard Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Bedene Chapel, where friends may call after 11 a.m. The family suggests memorials to Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice or the Westridge Activity Fund. Donations may be sent to or left at the Bedene Funeral Home, 517 E. Washington, Box 621, Arma, Kansas 66712.
