Annette Parent

Mrs. Parent was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, as well as writer and artist. Mrs. Parent was born in Elizabeth, N.J., in 1924. She grew up in Pennsylvania, attended Westtown School and Swarthmore College. With her family, she toured the Western United States on summer camping trips in the 1930s and 1940s, seeing places long before the tourists of today. She moved to Tucson, Arizona, in the early 1950s with her parents and sister for the drier climate. She coined the word "litterbug" in a Natural History magazine article in the 1952. She married Hiram Parent in 1957, lived in various Arizona national parks, and raised son Laurence Parent and daughter Anne Parent Fischer. The family lived in Carlsbad Caverns National Park from 1968 until Mr. Parent retired in 1980. They retired to Silver City, New Mexico. Mr. Parent passed away in 2000. She moved to Friendship Village Tempe, a retirement community, in 2007. Her sister Elizabeth Richards joined her there in 2008. She painted in oil, acrylic, and watercolor. Her paintings endure in the homes of many people. The Parents enjoyed hiking, birding, rock hunting, and picnics in the woods. She bravely fought a battle in both hospital and hospice. She left this world peacefully with faith in God's welcome in the next world. There she will once again be with her husband, her brothers (William and Frederick Richards), her parents (Edward and Elizabeth Richards) and many friends. She is survived by children, Laurence Edward Parent (Patricia) and Anne Parent Fischer (Tim Pasqual); sister, Elizabeth Richards; grandchildren, Jason and Michelle Parent; nieces and nephews; and step-grand- and great-grandchildren. A celebration of her life will be held Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 2 p.m. at Friendship Village Tempe, 2645 E. Southern Avenue, Tempe, AZ. This would have been the weekend to celebrate her 90th birthday. We will rejoice in the 89 years and 11 months that she blessed the world with her honesty, faith, and love. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014, 602.530.6900: or The Nature Conservancy, 1510 E. Ft. Lowell, Tucson, AZ 85719, (620) 712-0048, (620) 712-0059 (fax),arizona@tnc.org.