Donna Jean Parrish was born on June 14, 1934 in Lone Tree, North Dakota, to Leo and Vivian Meyer. She passed away on September 25, 2020 in Spokane. Donna married James Larry Parrish on May 24, 1980. They celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2020 although they were together for 50 years. Their adventures included bowling, traveling and hosting a houseful of family and friends. Donna valued friendships. After retiring from her more than 30-year career at First National Bank, she remained friends with the women she worked with. She was a lifetime member of Beta Sigma Phi, an international women's friendship network.
She had a hearty, infectious laugh, and loved telling jokes especially if they were off color and could make you turn red. She played Yahtzee with gusto. Her infatuation with collecting camels was known by all. One look at her refrigerator covered in photos of family, friends and many babies showed what Donna really valued in life: Relationships with people. She was mother, aunt and grandmother to all. She adored babies and children. Donna had the gift of hospitality. Her home was a very special place to anyone who entered. She was an excellent cook, and often hosted the whole family for holidays, weddings, reunions and memorials. She loved holidays as much as the kids. She wrapped mountains of gifts, wrote personalized greetings in stacks of Christmas cards and took pleasure in decorating her tree with hundreds of ornaments each with a memory of a special person. On Easter her great-niece, Jessica Thomson, brought her kids to hunt eggs in Donna and Larry's front yard so Donna could delight in the kids' squeals. Donna was famous for her raspberry jam, which she made from her backyard berry patch. Invariably, before visitors left, she insisted they take at least one jar. She passed her jam-making secrets down to her son, Richard, to continue the family tradition. Her niece, Sherry, summed up her aunt like this: "Donna was the thread that held our family together." We will miss her forever.
Donna was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Joyce Medin and Jeanette Gross and brother Delmer Meyer.
She is survived by her husband, Larry; son, Richard Glenn Bayhan; and brother Leo Meyer, Spokane Valley and sister Karen Ivy, Deer Park; four stepchildren: Becky Harmening, Washougal, WA, Susan Parrish, Vancouver, WA, Judy Nish, Canoga Park, CA and Matt Parrish, Elkton, OR; five grandchildren: Jess Lahti, Jimbo Cutler, Lindsey Harmening, Katherine Holton and Conor Holton and one great-grandson, Homer Cutler; and several nieces and nephews. She loved her stepchildren as her own.
An open casket viewing will take place on Monday, October 5 from noon to 4 p.m. at Fairmount Memorial Park Sunset Chapel, 5200 W. Wellesley Ave. Due to COVID-19, face coverings are required. A private graveside service will be held for family at Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake at a later date. Donna's family is grateful to her caregivers: Hospice of Spokane, nieces Sherry Harris and Rita Anderson, her son, Richard and honorary niece, Cindy Gilson. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Hospice of Spokane in honor of Donna.
Published in Spokesman-Review on Oct. 4, 2020.
She had a hearty, infectious laugh, and loved telling jokes especially if they were off color and could make you turn red. She played Yahtzee with gusto. Her infatuation with collecting camels was known by all. One look at her refrigerator covered in photos of family, friends and many babies showed what Donna really valued in life: Relationships with people. She was mother, aunt and grandmother to all. She adored babies and children. Donna had the gift of hospitality. Her home was a very special place to anyone who entered. She was an excellent cook, and often hosted the whole family for holidays, weddings, reunions and memorials. She loved holidays as much as the kids. She wrapped mountains of gifts, wrote personalized greetings in stacks of Christmas cards and took pleasure in decorating her tree with hundreds of ornaments each with a memory of a special person. On Easter her great-niece, Jessica Thomson, brought her kids to hunt eggs in Donna and Larry's front yard so Donna could delight in the kids' squeals. Donna was famous for her raspberry jam, which she made from her backyard berry patch. Invariably, before visitors left, she insisted they take at least one jar. She passed her jam-making secrets down to her son, Richard, to continue the family tradition. Her niece, Sherry, summed up her aunt like this: "Donna was the thread that held our family together." We will miss her forever.
Donna was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Joyce Medin and Jeanette Gross and brother Delmer Meyer.
She is survived by her husband, Larry; son, Richard Glenn Bayhan; and brother Leo Meyer, Spokane Valley and sister Karen Ivy, Deer Park; four stepchildren: Becky Harmening, Washougal, WA, Susan Parrish, Vancouver, WA, Judy Nish, Canoga Park, CA and Matt Parrish, Elkton, OR; five grandchildren: Jess Lahti, Jimbo Cutler, Lindsey Harmening, Katherine Holton and Conor Holton and one great-grandson, Homer Cutler; and several nieces and nephews. She loved her stepchildren as her own.
An open casket viewing will take place on Monday, October 5 from noon to 4 p.m. at Fairmount Memorial Park Sunset Chapel, 5200 W. Wellesley Ave. Due to COVID-19, face coverings are required. A private graveside service will be held for family at Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake at a later date. Donna's family is grateful to her caregivers: Hospice of Spokane, nieces Sherry Harris and Rita Anderson, her son, Richard and honorary niece, Cindy Gilson. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Hospice of Spokane in honor of Donna.
Published in Spokesman-Review on Oct. 4, 2020.
Donna Jean Parrish was born on June 14, 1934 in Lone Tree, North Dakota, to Leo and Vivian Meyer. She passed away on September 25, 2020 in Spokane. Donna married James Larry Parrish on May 24, 1980. They celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2020 although they were together for 50 years. Their adventures included bowling, traveling and hosting a houseful of family and friends. Donna valued friendships. After retiring from her more than 30-year career at First National Bank, she remained friends with the women she worked with. She was a lifetime member of Beta Sigma Phi, an international women's friendship network.
She had a hearty, infectious laugh, and loved telling jokes especially if they were off color and could make you turn red. She played Yahtzee with gusto. Her infatuation with collecting camels was known by all. One look at her refrigerator covered in photos of family, friends and many babies showed what Donna really valued in life: Relationships with people. She was mother, aunt and grandmother to all. She adored babies and children. Donna had the gift of hospitality. Her home was a very special place to anyone who entered. She was an excellent cook, and often hosted the whole family for holidays, weddings, reunions and memorials. She loved holidays as much as the kids. She wrapped mountains of gifts, wrote personalized greetings in stacks of Christmas cards and took pleasure in decorating her tree with hundreds of ornaments each with a memory of a special person. On Easter her great-niece, Jessica Thomson, brought her kids to hunt eggs in Donna and Larry's front yard so Donna could delight in the kids' squeals. Donna was famous for her raspberry jam, which she made from her backyard berry patch. Invariably, before visitors left, she insisted they take at least one jar. She passed her jam-making secrets down to her son, Richard, to continue the family tradition. Her niece, Sherry, summed up her aunt like this: "Donna was the thread that held our family together." We will miss her forever.
Donna was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Joyce Medin and Jeanette Gross and brother Delmer Meyer.
She is survived by her husband, Larry; son, Richard Glenn Bayhan; and brother Leo Meyer, Spokane Valley and sister Karen Ivy, Deer Park; four stepchildren: Becky Harmening, Washougal, WA, Susan Parrish, Vancouver, WA, Judy Nish, Canoga Park, CA and Matt Parrish, Elkton, OR; five grandchildren: Jess Lahti, Jimbo Cutler, Lindsey Harmening, Katherine Holton and Conor Holton and one great-grandson, Homer Cutler; and several nieces and nephews. She loved her stepchildren as her own.
An open casket viewing will take place on Monday, October 5 from noon to 4 p.m. at Fairmount Memorial Park Sunset Chapel, 5200 W. Wellesley Ave. Due to COVID-19, face coverings are required. A private graveside service will be held for family at Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake at a later date. Donna's family is grateful to her caregivers: Hospice of Spokane, nieces Sherry Harris and Rita Anderson, her son, Richard and honorary niece, Cindy Gilson. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Hospice of Spokane in honor of Donna.
Published in Spokesman-Review on Oct. 4, 2020.
She had a hearty, infectious laugh, and loved telling jokes especially if they were off color and could make you turn red. She played Yahtzee with gusto. Her infatuation with collecting camels was known by all. One look at her refrigerator covered in photos of family, friends and many babies showed what Donna really valued in life: Relationships with people. She was mother, aunt and grandmother to all. She adored babies and children. Donna had the gift of hospitality. Her home was a very special place to anyone who entered. She was an excellent cook, and often hosted the whole family for holidays, weddings, reunions and memorials. She loved holidays as much as the kids. She wrapped mountains of gifts, wrote personalized greetings in stacks of Christmas cards and took pleasure in decorating her tree with hundreds of ornaments each with a memory of a special person. On Easter her great-niece, Jessica Thomson, brought her kids to hunt eggs in Donna and Larry's front yard so Donna could delight in the kids' squeals. Donna was famous for her raspberry jam, which she made from her backyard berry patch. Invariably, before visitors left, she insisted they take at least one jar. She passed her jam-making secrets down to her son, Richard, to continue the family tradition. Her niece, Sherry, summed up her aunt like this: "Donna was the thread that held our family together." We will miss her forever.
Donna was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Joyce Medin and Jeanette Gross and brother Delmer Meyer.
She is survived by her husband, Larry; son, Richard Glenn Bayhan; and brother Leo Meyer, Spokane Valley and sister Karen Ivy, Deer Park; four stepchildren: Becky Harmening, Washougal, WA, Susan Parrish, Vancouver, WA, Judy Nish, Canoga Park, CA and Matt Parrish, Elkton, OR; five grandchildren: Jess Lahti, Jimbo Cutler, Lindsey Harmening, Katherine Holton and Conor Holton and one great-grandson, Homer Cutler; and several nieces and nephews. She loved her stepchildren as her own.
An open casket viewing will take place on Monday, October 5 from noon to 4 p.m. at Fairmount Memorial Park Sunset Chapel, 5200 W. Wellesley Ave. Due to COVID-19, face coverings are required. A private graveside service will be held for family at Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake at a later date. Donna's family is grateful to her caregivers: Hospice of Spokane, nieces Sherry Harris and Rita Anderson, her son, Richard and honorary niece, Cindy Gilson. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Hospice of Spokane in honor of Donna.
Published in Spokesman-Review on Oct. 4, 2020.
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