Elizabeth (Cassie) Parker Had Enthusiasm for Life

Elizabeth (Cassie) Parker died peacefully on Sunday, March 7, at home at the age of 83. She was an inspiration; despite all the challenges she was presented with she was still able to sparkle. Her smile and laughter were contagious. Her enthusiasm for life was compelling and with her abundance of love she was able to touch many lives.

Born on June 28, 1920 in Taunton, she was the daughter of Walter and Catherine Kruczek. In 1943, she met and fell in love with Robert Sterling Parker. Soon after their marriage he was deployed to the South Pacific to serve under General MacArthur in World War II. During this time Elizabeth went to Nevada to live with his parents. There she attended classes at the University while waiting for the birth of their first child and Robert's safe return.

After the war ended, Robert continued his service with Army Intelligence, which stationed them in many places. They lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Okinawa and England and traveled widely before finally settling in Virginia in 1958, which they called home.

They raised four children and were married for 50 years until Robert's death in 1994. In 1996 Elizabeth moved to Martha's Vineyard to live with her daughter and has been blessed by a caring and loving community.

She is survived by her brothers, Felix and Frank Kruczek of Taunton, and was predeceased by her older brother, Theodore Kruczek. She is survived by her four children, Robert Sterling Parker Jr. of Sedona, Ariz., James Leland Parker of Manassas, Va., Douglas Parker of Woodbridge, Va., and Janice Kathryn Donaroma of Edgartown. Her grandchildren include Kristine Parker of Charlottesville, Va., Lori Lockridge of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Emily Parker of Manassas, Va., Bryan Parker of Clayton, Idaho, Aaron Parker of Sedona, Ariz., Jeffrey Donaroma of Edgartown and Daniel Parker of Woodbridge, Va.

Her Island service was held in the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs on Wednesday, March 10, officiated by the Rev. Kenneth Campbell. A graveside service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. at 1 p.m. on March 17, where she will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband. Donations in her memory may be made to the Edgartown Council on Aging, P.O. Box 1295, Edgartown, MA 02539.