Beverly Parker walked thru Heaven’s Door on February 28, 2016 from her home in Shawnee, KS.

On July 1, 1935, Beverly was born in Omaha, Nebraska and shortly thereafter became the adopted daughter of Helen Christina Mason and Willie Houston Mason. Rounding out the family during the next few years were brothers, Jack and Roy. The family lived in Houston, Texas.

Beverly married her husband, Stanley Parker, on September 24, 1960 after meeting him at Ellington Air Force Base located just outside of Houston. Marrying a man in the military necessitated a proficiency in packing boxes and filling out several "change of address" forms. Tours of duty in San Angelo, Texas, Wahiawa, Hawaii and San Antonio, Texas served as birthplaces for three of their five children.

After leaving the Air Force in 1970, Bev and Stan made their home in Houston, TX where they lived for many years. Beverly always made her house a home and made her flower gardens the envy of the neighbors. In addition to raising four daughters and a son, Beverly worked outside the home in many different jobs; telephone operator, retail sales, and a real estate office receptionist. Stanley became a Court Security Officer for the U. S. Marshall Service at the Harris County Federal Courthouse and served in that capacity for almost 30 years

Beverly's first priority was always her ever-growing family as she became a grandmother and eventually, a great grandmother. There were many road trips to Kansas over the years to visit the family members who had moved away from Texas. Family trips were taken to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and to Eisenhower State Park for a large family celebration of Bev & Stan's 50th wedding anniversary.

In May of 2010, Beverly was diagnosed with breast cancer. It metastasized to her lymph nodes, ribs, and spine. As if that wasn't enough, the diagnoses of Parkinson's disease and Lewy Bodies Dementia followed shortly thereafter. Through all of this, Bev continued to keep a bright outlook of life and its possibilities. She had a great sense of humor and was very quick witted and optimistic.

In an effort to be closer to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Beverly and Stan moved to Shawnee Kansas in November, 2014. As a newcomer to the area and to Kansas winters, one of Bev's first purchases was a pair of ‘fancy' red boots to help survive the snow! Because her health began to decline rapidly (and the winter was so mild), she only got to wear those boots one time.

Despite the gallant efforts of her doctors and technicians at University of Kansas Cancer Center and the dedicated care and attention of the staff of Kansas City Hospice, Beverly passed away on February 28, 2016 at her home in Shawnee.

Preceding her in death were parents Helen & Bill Mason, brother Roy Mason, & daughter Christina Parker.

She will always be loved and missed by her husband Stanley Parker of Shawnee KS, children Bren Stout of Lenexa KS, Laurie Wiemers of Manhattan KS, Marsha Decker of Cuero TX & Larry Parker of Houston TX, brother Jack Mason (wife LuAnn) of Houston TX, 8 grandchildren (Shanan Allemang & husband Clark, Robyn Opheim & husband Jason, Mandi Stout, Jeremy Baker, Hunter Wiemers, John Michael Parker, Louis Decker, Kelleye Decker) and 7 great-grandsons (TJ, Matthew, Aidan, Jackson, Alex, Zachary, Kris) and 1 great-granddaugher, Emily.

Services

Visitation and viewing is on March 5, 2016 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm at Amos Funeral Home 10901 Johnson Dr. Shawnee, KS. A Memorial Service will follow from 3:30 - 4:00 pm.

Contributions

Contributions may be made to:

Kansas City Hospice Foundation

1500 Meadow Lake Parkway, Suite 200

Kansas City, MO 64114