Vivian R. Parks, 100, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 18, 2021. Vivian is survived by her two daughters, Edwina and Barbara (Michael Riley). She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward C. Parks. She was the only child of the late Pearl and Walter Rudd of Enfield, NC.
Born in Greenville, NC, Vivian received her early education in North Carolina and Virginia schools, finishing first in her high school class of 1939 at Booker T. Washington High School in Suffolk, VA. She finished at the top of her 1943 graduating class at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing, an affiliate of present-day North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. Her professional career as a registered nurse began at Lincoln Hospital.
Vivian was dedicated to caring for others in both her family and professional life. During the polio epidemic and through the recruitment of nurses by the American Red Cross, Vivian worked at Dooley Hospital and St. Philip Hospital at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
Following World War II, Vivian was among the first African-American nurses hired by the Veterans Administration in 1946 to integrate the nursing service at the V.A. Hospital in Salem, VA. In 1949, she married Edward, a U.S. Army Corporal from Roanoke, VA, where they made their home and raised their family.
At the V.A. Hospital, Vivian worked as a registered nurse while continuing her education, taking classes through the University of Virginia, Division of Extension. During her career, she received several Superior Performance Awards, and retired in 1978 after 32 years of service with the Veterans Administration. In retirement, she brought her mother, Pearl, and mother-in-law, Mary Lee, into her home, caring for them until death.
Vivian loved to travel and enjoyed ocean cruises and group tours with her husband and their friends. She cherished family and frequently returned home to North Carolina, where she maintained close ties with aunts, uncles, and cousins. Perhaps most of all, she loved piling her young daughters and their schoolmates in the family Buick for trips to natural wonders and historic sites.
Vivian was a member of Sweet Union Baptist Church in Roanoke and actively involved in her community, serving as a charter member of the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to honor Vivian's memory consider a memorial donation to the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum, 1730 Orange Avenue NW, Roanoke, VA 24017; or the Lincoln Community Health Center, PO Box 52119, Durham, NC 27717-2119.
A public viewing will be held Thursday, April 22, 2021, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home & Crematory. Graveside services will be held privately. Condolences may be sent to www.Hamlar-Curtis.com.
Born in Greenville, NC, Vivian received her early education in North Carolina and Virginia schools, finishing first in her high school class of 1939 at Booker T. Washington High School in Suffolk, VA. She finished at the top of her 1943 graduating class at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing, an affiliate of present-day North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. Her professional career as a registered nurse began at Lincoln Hospital.
Vivian was dedicated to caring for others in both her family and professional life. During the polio epidemic and through the recruitment of nurses by the American Red Cross, Vivian worked at Dooley Hospital and St. Philip Hospital at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
Following World War II, Vivian was among the first African-American nurses hired by the Veterans Administration in 1946 to integrate the nursing service at the V.A. Hospital in Salem, VA. In 1949, she married Edward, a U.S. Army Corporal from Roanoke, VA, where they made their home and raised their family.
At the V.A. Hospital, Vivian worked as a registered nurse while continuing her education, taking classes through the University of Virginia, Division of Extension. During her career, she received several Superior Performance Awards, and retired in 1978 after 32 years of service with the Veterans Administration. In retirement, she brought her mother, Pearl, and mother-in-law, Mary Lee, into her home, caring for them until death.
Vivian loved to travel and enjoyed ocean cruises and group tours with her husband and their friends. She cherished family and frequently returned home to North Carolina, where she maintained close ties with aunts, uncles, and cousins. Perhaps most of all, she loved piling her young daughters and their schoolmates in the family Buick for trips to natural wonders and historic sites.
Vivian was a member of Sweet Union Baptist Church in Roanoke and actively involved in her community, serving as a charter member of the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to honor Vivian's memory consider a memorial donation to the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum, 1730 Orange Avenue NW, Roanoke, VA 24017; or the Lincoln Community Health Center, PO Box 52119, Durham, NC 27717-2119.
A public viewing will be held Thursday, April 22, 2021, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home & Crematory. Graveside services will be held privately. Condolences may be sent to www.Hamlar-Curtis.com.
Vivian R. Parks, 100, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 18, 2021. Vivian is survived by her two daughters, Edwina and Barbara (Michael Riley). She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward C. Parks. She was the only child of the late Pearl and Walter Rudd of Enfield, NC.
Born in Greenville, NC, Vivian received her early education in North Carolina and Virginia schools, finishing first in her high school class of 1939 at Booker T. Washington High School in Suffolk, VA. She finished at the top of her 1943 graduating class at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing, an affiliate of present-day North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. Her professional career as a registered nurse began at Lincoln Hospital.
Vivian was dedicated to caring for others in both her family and professional life. During the polio epidemic and through the recruitment of nurses by the American Red Cross, Vivian worked at Dooley Hospital and St. Philip Hospital at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
Following World War II, Vivian was among the first African-American nurses hired by the Veterans Administration in 1946 to integrate the nursing service at the V.A. Hospital in Salem, VA. In 1949, she married Edward, a U.S. Army Corporal from Roanoke, VA, where they made their home and raised their family.
At the V.A. Hospital, Vivian worked as a registered nurse while continuing her education, taking classes through the University of Virginia, Division of Extension. During her career, she received several Superior Performance Awards, and retired in 1978 after 32 years of service with the Veterans Administration. In retirement, she brought her mother, Pearl, and mother-in-law, Mary Lee, into her home, caring for them until death.
Vivian loved to travel and enjoyed ocean cruises and group tours with her husband and their friends. She cherished family and frequently returned home to North Carolina, where she maintained close ties with aunts, uncles, and cousins. Perhaps most of all, she loved piling her young daughters and their schoolmates in the family Buick for trips to natural wonders and historic sites.
Vivian was a member of Sweet Union Baptist Church in Roanoke and actively involved in her community, serving as a charter member of the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to honor Vivian's memory consider a memorial donation to the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum, 1730 Orange Avenue NW, Roanoke, VA 24017; or the Lincoln Community Health Center, PO Box 52119, Durham, NC 27717-2119.
A public viewing will be held Thursday, April 22, 2021, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home & Crematory. Graveside services will be held privately. Condolences may be sent to www.Hamlar-Curtis.com.
Born in Greenville, NC, Vivian received her early education in North Carolina and Virginia schools, finishing first in her high school class of 1939 at Booker T. Washington High School in Suffolk, VA. She finished at the top of her 1943 graduating class at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing, an affiliate of present-day North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. Her professional career as a registered nurse began at Lincoln Hospital.
Vivian was dedicated to caring for others in both her family and professional life. During the polio epidemic and through the recruitment of nurses by the American Red Cross, Vivian worked at Dooley Hospital and St. Philip Hospital at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
Following World War II, Vivian was among the first African-American nurses hired by the Veterans Administration in 1946 to integrate the nursing service at the V.A. Hospital in Salem, VA. In 1949, she married Edward, a U.S. Army Corporal from Roanoke, VA, where they made their home and raised their family.
At the V.A. Hospital, Vivian worked as a registered nurse while continuing her education, taking classes through the University of Virginia, Division of Extension. During her career, she received several Superior Performance Awards, and retired in 1978 after 32 years of service with the Veterans Administration. In retirement, she brought her mother, Pearl, and mother-in-law, Mary Lee, into her home, caring for them until death.
Vivian loved to travel and enjoyed ocean cruises and group tours with her husband and their friends. She cherished family and frequently returned home to North Carolina, where she maintained close ties with aunts, uncles, and cousins. Perhaps most of all, she loved piling her young daughters and their schoolmates in the family Buick for trips to natural wonders and historic sites.
Vivian was a member of Sweet Union Baptist Church in Roanoke and actively involved in her community, serving as a charter member of the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to honor Vivian's memory consider a memorial donation to the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum, 1730 Orange Avenue NW, Roanoke, VA 24017; or the Lincoln Community Health Center, PO Box 52119, Durham, NC 27717-2119.
A public viewing will be held Thursday, April 22, 2021, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home & Crematory. Graveside services will be held privately. Condolences may be sent to www.Hamlar-Curtis.com.
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