Surry-Southampton County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Parker, Dorothy R., 2012 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ DOROTHY REESE PARKER PARKER, Dorothy Reese, 87, of Surry, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 after a brief illness. A lifelong resident of Virginia, "Reese," as she was known to family members, was born on February 1, 1925 in Sebrell and grew up in Dendron and Jarratt. At Jarratt High School, she was a gifted athlete, and excelled at basketball and tennis. In later years, she developed a passion for golf and played as often as possible. Reese attended Radford College and RPI, where she majored in Fashion Design. During her time at RPI, she won recognition for her design and creation of a blush-pink, satin wedding gown later worn by her sister. She also hand- stitched christening dresses worn by three of her nieces. After a brief period of employment with Atlantic Life, in Richmond, she moved to Surry, Va., where she owned and operated the Surry Tastee Treet for many years. Following her retirement, she worked part-time at Wallace Edwards' Ham Shoppe in Surry. Never having married, Reese embraced her four nieces and two nephews as her own. She was a wonderful role model, and lived her life with integrity, honesty, kindness and humor. More than anything, she loved her family and was an adored sister, daughter, cousin and aunt. Reese also had great compassion for stray animals. She adopted two dogs over the years and opened her kitchen to other strays while living in Surry. She was a member of the Wakefield United Methodist Church. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Oscar E. Parker Sr. and Irma May Reese Parker; her stepfather, Milton Shufelt; and brother-in-law, Herbert W. Parker. She is survived by her brother, Oscar E. Parker Jr. and his wife, Glenice, of Wakefield; her sister, Irma P. Parker of Williamsburg; her nephews, Oscar E. Parker III and his wife, Ann, Christopher Parker and his wife, Vickie; and her nieces, Sandra Parker Rickmond and her husband, Gene, Linda P. Cooper and her husband, Dennis, Susan P. Drean and her husband, John, and Carol Parker and her husband, Nick Trinh. She is also survived by 13 great-nieces and nephews. Visitation will be tonight, Thursday, October 18, 2012 at R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home, 11414 General Mahone Highway in Wakefield, Va., from 6 to 8 p.m. A ceremony to celebrate her life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, October 19 at the funeral home. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in the name of Reese Parker to Hospice of Virginia Foundation, 1700 Bayberry Court, Richmond, Va. 23226, or the Surry County SPCA, P.O. Box 96, Surry, Va. 23883. Condolences may be posted at www.rwbakerfh.com. Dorothy Reese PARKER, of Surry, retired Tasty Treet owner/operator, b. 1 Feb 1925, Sebrell, d. 16 Oct 2012, funeral in Wakefield, 19 Oct 2012, "Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch," Oct. 17, 2012 Her parents are buried in the SEBRELL-SIMMONS Cemetery (Plot 21A), Sebrell. Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project, Miscellaneous Cemeteries, Vol. 4 (IV-8): http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/miscvol4.txt Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), and re-formatted by File Manager. file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/surry/obits/p626d1ob.txt