Claribel (Wilcox) Parker

Claribel Wilcox Parker was born on October 6, 1929 in Columbus, Ohio. She was the youngest daughter of William and Marjorie (Maddox) Wilcox. She grew up on the family farm near Powell. She was very proud of her heritage as an Ohio Farm Girl.

She graduated from Powell High School as the valedictorian of her class – of ten students in 1946. Claribel wanted to be a veterinarian because of her love of animals and science. Her father said “no” to vet school as it was not appropriate for a woman. The next best thing was nursing school. She graduated from the Ohio State University College of Nursing in August of 1950 with a baccalaureate degree. At this time a BSN was very rare. While at OSU she met Wayne Parker of North Bloomfield, OH. They were married on October 15, 1950. Their marriage produced three children. They were Eric, Emily and Ellen.

Nursing was her lifetime vocation. Over the years she worked in several areas including Medical Surgical nursing and nursing education. It was through her love of nursing that brought her to several volunteer opportunities. She and Wayne served two winter seasons at the Red Bird Mission in the Appalachian region of Kentucky. Claribel worked in the health clinic and made home visits while Wayne helped with various construction projects in the community. Working for a medical mission with Direct Relief took the Parkers to St. Lucia for several months. Claribel also worked in the Amazon RainForest of Brazil for Direct Relief. Once they moved to Sun City, AZ she served as a volunteer for the Hospice of Sun Valley. She also served on the Board of Directors at Royal Oaks Lifecare Community, including a term as board President.

Like her mother, her fingers were never still. Her lifetime passion was sewing and quilting. Her commitment to quilting was rooted in the old, Amish value that not even a scrap of leftover fabric should be wasted. She promptly mastered the traditional styles and then moved on to contemporary “fabric art” designs. Her quilts won many awards. She also made the wedding dresses for both Emily and Ellen.

As with other members of her family, her values personified the midwestern farm ethic and Methodist values of frugality. She taught her children to wear hand me down clothes with pride. She loved to tell her son that a new shirt was from his older cousin. Summer months were consumed by the maintenance of a huge garden. Freezing and canning went on late into the evenings.

Worship attendance on Sunday mornings was a weekly ritual for Claribel and Wayne.

In 1995, following retirement, she and Wayne moved from Upstate NY to Sun City, Arizona. For over twenty years they loved the Arizona weather and the retiree lifestyle.

She became a late in life baseball fan, rooting for her beloved Arizona Diamondbacks. A couple of years ago, when Mike Hazen, the young General Manager of the D-backs lost his wife to cancer, she took the time to write him a personal letter of condolence.

Her greatest joy in life were her grandchildren, Bess and Emerson James. In April 2021, she rejoiced in the birth of her great grandson, Liam. Claribel enjoyed taking Bess and Emerson on Elderhostel trips. She loved telling stories of Emerson flying a Cessna airplane over the Grand Canyon, and shooting the rapids on the Colorado River.

Her greatest heartbreak was the untimely death of her daughter, Emily Parker in 2020.

She died at Keystone Place in Westminster, CO on June 25, 2022 in hospice care. She is preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, her sister, Joanne, and her daughter, Emily. She is survived by two children, Eric Parker and Ellen James (David) both of Westminster, CO. She is also survived by her two grandchildren, Elizabeth “Bess” Marks (Ian) of Anchorage, AK and Emerson James of Logan, UT, and her great grandson, Liam Marks, of Anchorage, AK. She has several nieces and nephews living throughout the United States.

A service celebrating Claribel’s life will occur at Powell United Methodist Church on September 24, 2022 at 11:00 AM.

Memorials may be given to the Claribel Wilcox Parker Nursing Scholarship at the Ohio State University (information below) or to a hospice organization of your choosing.

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