Margaret Parrish was called from her earthly home in Oak Harbor to be with her Lord on Jan. 12, 2014, at the age of 87. Margaret was born on April 28, 1926, in Wedron, Ill., to William and Grace (Richardson) McMichael.
She graduated from Serena High School in 1944. After school she worked as a ticketing agent for the railroad in Chicago. She met Dean E. Parrish and they where married on Oct. 29, 1946.
Dean was in the Navy, and, after their marriage, they we were stationed at Great Lakes, Ill.; Coronado, Calif.; Eva Beach, Hawaii; and, then, Whidbey Island.
Dean retired from the Navy in 1969. They purchased a home and property in the Oak Harbor area and raised their two children.
When not taking care of their son Paul, Margaret worked for the Navy Housing Authority and later the Oak Harbor School District as an office assistant.
When the kids grew up and their son Paul moved to Seattle to the Cerebral Palsy Center, Dean and Margaret traveled often, including to Scotland and England, but mostly to Florida and Illinois to visit friends and family.
Margaret loved to travel, work out in the garden, be with family and go with friends to the local casinos. Dean and Margaret also hosted many summer picnics at their home for those at the Cerebral Palsy Center.
Later on in her life Margaret volunteered at the Oak Harbor Senior Center where she assisted coordinating trips and outings and was a host for many tours.
Her helping spirit to others was also evident when in 1996 she became a driver with the volunteer chore of Senior Services of Island County for 10 years, logging more than 21,000 miles of driving fellow senior citizens to medical appointments.
When she turned 80 she decided to hang it up because she joked she was older then most of the people she assisted and also she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Margaret is survived by her daughter Pam (Rich) Tyhuis, grandson Brian (Kirstin) Tyhuis and granddaughter Melanie (Ryan) McCarthy, all of Oak Harbor; and grandchildren Aiden and Madison McCarthy and Hallie and Jake Tyhuis.
She was preceded in death by her husband Dean in 1994 and son Paul in 1996.
In her last days she was cared for by staff from Visiting Angels and Whidbey General Home Health, and ministered to by Joan and Myra from Stevens’s ministries.
We want to especially thank Ann, Denise and Luketta for their care and love for Margaret. A memorial service to celebrate her life was held at the Oak harbor Christian Reformed Church on Friday, Jan. 17. If you wish, memorials can be given to the Oak Harbor Senior Center Foundation.
