Ophelia D (DeKaria) Parkinson

Ophelia  Parkinson of St. James, Mo. passed away on April 9, 2017 at the Missouri Veterans Home in St. James, Mo.  She was 92 years, 10 months and 20 days of age.

Mrs. Ophelia "Fee" Parkinson was born to Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Dekaria on May 20, 1924 in Jamestown, North Dakota.   Ophelia Parkinson was united in marriage to Walter Parkinson.

Mrs. Ophelia "Fee" Parkinson was the oldest of three children.  Her dad worked for the railroad handling the baggage cart and her mother worked at a local restaurant.  She would walk 14 blocks to and from school 4 times a day.  Fee said that they would all go home for lunch because they were too proud to have a cold brown bag lunch.  Their mother would have a hot plate waiting on the stove for them each day.  While a teenager, Fee got a job as a Soda Jerk at a local cafe in Jamestown. She graduated from high school and lived there until the age of 18 when she joined the Women's Air Corp.

An Army and Navy Recruiter came to speak with her about joining the military.  She thought that the Navy Recruiter was a little too "fresh" around her, so she selected the Army.  Back then you had to be 21 for a woman to join, so her dad had to give permission and sign the  paperwork.  She was stationed at Wright Patterson Field in Dalton, Ohio as a File Clerk.  While there she met her husband of fifty years, Walter Parkinson.

After Walter and Fee got out of the military, they moved to New Hampshire to start a diary farm.  In the process of running a diary farm for 20 years they also found time to have three children Tony, Bill and Jane.  She loved working on the farm, but it was a lot of hard work.  Due to her husband's health they retired and moved to Missouri in 1986.

After the death of her husband in 1995, Ophelia decided that she needed something to keep her busy, so she became a Senior Companion for the Missouri Veterans Home.  She volunteered for almost twenty years.  She became a resident of Missouri Veterans Home  in 2005, but she still continued to volunteer her time by giving support to other Veterans.   They were honored to have such an amazing lady at the Missouri Veterans Home in St. James, Mo. She will be sadly missed by her family, friends, and fellow veterans and staff.

Ophelia Parkinson is survived by two sons: Tony Parkinson of Vienna, Mo. and Bill Parkinson and wife Stephanie of Concord, New Hampshire, and daughter Jane Corliss    and husband David of St. James, Mo.

Preceding Ophelia Parkinson in death is her parents Martha Poepotle and Antoney DeKaria.

Visitation will be Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on April 13, 2017 at the Jones Funeral Home in St. James, Mo.

Graveside services will be conducted on Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 11 A.M. at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Cemetery in St. James, Mo. with Father Judge officiating.  Pallbearers will be the Patriot Guards Riders  Burial will be in the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Cemetery in St. James, Mo.

Memorials may be made to Veterans Home Assistance League.  Cards are available at the Jones Funeral Home in St. James, Mo.

All arrangements are under the direction of the Jones Funeral Home in St. James, Mo.

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