Joan Parker

Joan Parker, 83 year old longtime Seminole resident, passed from this life on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, in Seminole. She was born on April 30, 1933, in Coil, OK, to parents, Lawrence and Faye (Hardy) Kidd. Joan and her husband, Richard Parker, met at OSU where he attended college, and she worked at a soda fountain. They were life long OSU fans. They married on June 22, 1952 at St. Marks Episcopal Church in Seminole. Joan taught Happy Days Kindergarten at St. Marks Church for thirteen years. She was the first teacher to many young people in Seminole. Many of her students and their parents would stop her to say thank you later on in life. One of her greatest joys was going to her first year students’ high school graduations. She served St. Marks for many years as their Altar Guild Director. There were many times when she was the first to arrive and the last to leave. Joan’s love for children stayed with her after she and her husband moved to Oklahoma City. It was there that she worked at Children’s Hospital, once again being there for children. She and her husband were members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for many years serving lake Eufaula. Joan was also a member of ECW (Episcopal Church Women), Red Hat Society, and Interfaith Ministry. Joan never stopped teaching and sharing her knowledge of quilting, knitting, and alter duty at Church. She was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. With her grandchildren, she was known for fishing, cooking, sewing, and always teaching. Preceding her in death are her parents, Lawrence and Faye Kidd, husband, Richard Parker who passed away on February 4, 1997, son, Dennis Ray, and brother, Lawrence Kidd. Joan is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Shala Parker of Oklahoma City, daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Dickey Bryan of Seminole, daughter and son-in-law, Denise and Joe Templeton of Summerfield, North Carolina, brother and sister-in-law, Ted and Jane Kidd of Hannibal, Missouri, and sister Dorothy Jean Kidd of Oklahoma City. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren: Jeremy and Taressa Bryan of West End, North Carolina, Eric and DeeDee Bryan of Seminole, Kari Bryan of Seminole, Brandon Parker of Seminole, Brandy and Rusty Pritchett of Prague, Alison Templeton and Ricky Reed of Oklahoma City, Megan Templeton of Bentonville, Arkansas, James Parker of Oklahoma City, Crystal Parker of Oklahoma City, and Sara Parker of Oklahoma City, and thirteen great grandchildren. Family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, April 7, 2017 at Swearingen Funeral Home in Seminole, Oklahoma. Funeral Services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 8, 2017 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Seminole, Oklahoma. Vicar Elizabeth Davis will be the officiating minister, and burial will take place at Rest Haven Cemetery in Seminole. Casket bearers will be Joe Templeton, Dickey Bryan, Jeremy Bryan, Eric Bryan, James Parker, Richard Parker, Jacob Parker, and Sawyer Rickerd. Donations may be made to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1304 in Seminole, OK 74818 in Memory of Joan Parker. Services are under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home in Seminole. Funeral Information: April 8, 2017, 11:00 AM St. Mark's Episcopal Church - Seminole located at Highland & Walnut Streets, Seminole, OK 74868