Caroline Jane Fairchild Parker
Caroline Jane “Cat” Fairchild Parker of Ellisville went to be with her Lord and Savior on July 26, 2022.
Caroline was born on Feb. 24, 1938, in Moselle. She was the youngest of four children, and was preceded in death by her parents Elvin E. and Marie A. Sellers Fairchild; her husband James “Jim” Parker Sr.; brothers Elvin “Al” Fairchild and William “Bill” Fairchild; sister Elizabeth “Betty” Adcock; niece Anne Marie Fairchild Rogers; and nephews Samuel Fairchild and Michael Fairchild.
She is survived by her daughter Dianna L. Perez (Joseph) and grandsons Joshua Perez (Stephanie) and Andrew Perez; her son James “Gary” Parker Jr. (Pamela) and grandsons Cameron Parker and Matthew Parker; sisters-in-law Molly Fairchild Boardman and Tommy Jean
Fairchild; nieces Susie Lott, Ruth Strickland, Belinda Williams, Cathy Keith and Jeanna Collins; nephews Jim Adcock and Steven Fairchild; and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews and first, second and third cousins.
Caroline graduated from Moselle High School in 1956, attended Jones County Junior College, then married Jim on June 5, 1958, and remained his soulmate until his passing on Dec. 10, 2012. Working as an administrative assistant or secretary for more than 60 years, she maintained she was a better mother because she always worked outside the home. Her children would agree.
Following stints in Mississippi, Louisiana (where Dianna was born), Kentucky
(where Gary was born) and Missouri (where they met their lifelong friends Ron and Jo Ann Thomas), she and Jim moved back to Mississippi in 1974. In 1975, she began working as the church secretary at West Ellisville Baptist Church. After serving there through the mid-1990s, she thought she was ready for retirement.
She and the love of her life traveled several years with Jim’s mother Eunice Parker in an RV, attending many antique engine shows and seeing much of the southern United States. Some of her grandsons had the joy and pleasure of some of these trips, learning many life lessons from Mimi and Papaw. Travel time ended for Caroline and Jim and they became caregivers of Eunice until her passing. During this time, she also went back to work on a part-time basis at West Ellisville Baptist Church. Full retirement just wasn’t for her, to the point of working on the Friday before her passing.
She truly loved her Lord, loved serving Him at the church and never thought of her time as more than a ministry of His love to others. She gave freely of her time, spent years as a Sunday school teacher, and was always ready to listen, talk and, above all else, pray with anyone. She will always be remembered as a prayer warrior, not only to and for her family, but for so many others.
A viewing for family and friends will be 5-8 p.m. Friday, July 29, at West Ellisville Baptist Church. A celebration of Caroline's life will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church. Interment will be in Sunrise Cemetery in Petal.
In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial contribution in Caroline’s name to the Gideons
International, either by phone to 1-866-382-4253, or Gideons International Processing Center, P.O. Box 97251, Washington, DC 20090-7251
Alternatively, please consider a memorial donation to West Ellisville Baptist Church, 1108 B Ave., Ellisville, MS 39437.
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