Marion Parker

Marion Katherine Florence Kleve Parker joined her Lord and Savior in heaven on Saturday, July 9, 2016 in Charlevoix, Mich. She passed of stroke complications after a life well-lived. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1929 to Carl and Mabel Kleve, she was 86.

Marion, Kay and their six children were long-time resorters in Charlevoix, renting homes in Pine Point until the family bought a home in the neighborhood in 1961. They moved to Charlevoix permanently in 1977 when Kay retired. Recently Pine Point Association celebrated its 100th anniversary, and Marion was noted as one of the neighborhood’s longest-standing residents.

Marion loved gardening, sewing, making quilts and helping others. But her great love was cooking. Raising six children as a stay-at-home mom, she faced the daily challenge of creating meals that would satisfy eight people. Marion was a devoted mother, and she showed her love most through her cooking. One year, she even created a cookbook she gave to her children for Christmas called “What’s For Dinner Mom?” It included all of her and their favorite recipes so they could recreate them in their adult lives.

As important to Marion as her family was her relationship with God. When she lived downstate she was very involved in her home church, Shepherd King Lutheran Church in West Bloomfield, and one year she served as the District Leader of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. When she moved north, she became an active member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Charlevoix and then Zion Lutheran Church in Petoskey. In the 1980’s she studied in a program where she received her degree in Evangelism. At Zion Lutheran, she was a member of the Board of Evangelism, and a leader in its prison ministry group, which visited Camp Pellston every Sunday night. In recent years, she led the Women’s Bible Study program at Zion Lutheran.

Marion is survived by her children Scott Waring Parker, Lance Rawdon Parker and his wife Kathy (Wimbish) Parker, Brian Kay Parker, Barry Kent Parker and his wife Tammy (Timms) Parker, Dean Parker and his partner Kelly Jervey, Suzanne (Parker) Sherman and her husband Philip A. Sherman and her grandchildren Katie Parker and Stephen Parker. She is also survived by her brother, Donald Kleve, his wife, Billie, and her sister in-laws, Daphne Kleve and Barbara Kleve. She is preceded in death by husband Kay Eugene Parker, her sister Carol (Kleve) Stanziale and her brothers Kenneth and Herb Kleve.

Visitation will be held at Winchester Funeral Home in Charlevoix, on Tuesday, July 12, 2016. Funeral services will be at Zion Lutheran Church in Petoskey at at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 13, 2016. Pastor Michael Teuscher will officiate.

Memorial donations may be made to the Hospice of Northwest Michigan, 220 W Garfield Ave., Charlevoix, MI 49720 in Marion’s name..