NINA JEAN TAYLOR PARKS

Steven's Funeral Chapel

Nina Jean Taylor Parks of Othello, Washington, passed away at Samaritan Hospital on January 18, 2011, in Moses Lake, Washington, at the age of 88.

She was born on June 17, 1922, in Sumner, Missouri, to Albert Ray and Carrie Louise Brenner Taylor, their second child and only daughter. She grew up on the family farm, went to Business College at Chillicothe, MO, then moved to Independence, MO, where she began her working career.

She met and married her husband, Ralph, in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1946. They farmed in the Emporia area of Kansas, where two of their daughters Linda and Cheryl were born, in 1950 and 1952, respectively. In 1902, Nina's grandfather had purchased undeveloped rangeland which later became part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. In the spring of 1952, Ralph and Nina loaded their belongings in a railroad boxcar and moved to a home site south of Othello. Pioneer life included hauling water, clearing sagebrush for farmland, raising chickens and selling milk and eggs.

She worked 4 years for the Columbia Basin Irrigation District and then 12 years for the Adams County Extension Service. During this time, her youngest daughter, Marian, was born in 1959.

She returned to school, at the age of 47, at Eastern Washington College where she received her teaching certificate. She taught High School at Days Creek, Oregon, for several years then returned to teach at Othello High School. She went on to complete her Master's Degree in Business Education at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, returning to teach at Big Bend Community College, Moses Lake, WA. She accepted a position teaching High School Business Education in Umatilla, Oregon, until she retired and moved back to the farm in Othello.

She loved working in the garden among her flowers and treasured trees. Relatives in Kansas remember her always digging up trees to bring back to the farm to plant, one of her favorite being the Redbud tree. Nina and Ralph always had a prolific garden and taught their daughters the value and rewards of hard work.

She and Ralph helped break ground for the First Presbyterian Church in 1957. They continued to participate in church activities and she especially loved to sing in the choir.

Nina had an adventurous spirit and loved to travel with family and friends. She was one of the first tourists into China after its borders were opened. She and Ralph especially enjoyed Australia and New Zealand. Other adventures included Europe, South America, South Korea and the Orient, as well as the United States and Canada.

She is survived by her younger brother, John R. Taylor, Othello; three daughters; Linda Parks (Bill) Marean of Lawrenceburg, KY; Cheryl Parks Taylor (Bill) Walker; and Marian Parks (Stan) Floyd, of Othello, WA.; two granddaughters, Carrie Reardon (Patrick), in Durham, NC; Rachel Marean Linares (Alex), in Lexington, KY, and a great-grandson, Adan Linares.

She was preceded in death by an infant son, her parents, her husband Ralph D. Parks, and her older brother Col. George Ira Taylor II.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 22, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 715 E. Scootney Street, Othello, WA. Services are under the direction of Stevens Funeral Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to The Alzheimer's Association, N. 5125 Market Street, Spokane, WA, 99207, in memory of Nina Parks.