Barbara Lou (Deering) Parker

Barbara Lou (Deering) Parker 1931 – 2020 Barbara Lou (Deering) Parker, of Woolwich, 88, passed away March 17, 2020 with her family by her side at Mid-Coast Hospital. She was born in Bath to Althea and Gardiner Deering and was an only child. With no siblings, she naturally cultivated relationships with friends and family members as a child and this continued throughout her life. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and numerous other civic groups in Bath. She always said growing up in a small town where her father was the judge required being on her best behavior. Upon graduation from Morse High School she married Reginald Parker in 1950 and they were happily married until his passing in 1998. They lived their entire lives in the Bath area. In the early years of their marriage they lived on York Street, just across from her parents and down the hill from her grandmother. Raising their children so close to extended family was special to Barbie and Reggie. She spent idyllic summers at nearby Brigham’s Cove as a child and also while raising her family. She was always involved with her children’s activities as they were growing up in Bath, helping tend the snack bar at ball games, traveling to every away game and engaging with other parents in support of various teams and activities. Throughout her life, she continued her support for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren whenever she could. Her children describe her as loving, kind, supportive, generous, hard-working, thoughtful, smart, pretty, poised, unselfish-in short, the kind of mother every child hopes for. Like so many children of the Great Depression and World War II, she learned to be thrifty and self-sufficient, traits that stayed with her always. After her children were grown, she worked in the Bath School Department for several years helping children with disabilities. She felt fulfilled in this work. She and Reggie retired in the 1990s with plans to travel but those plans were cut short by his untimely and unexpected passing. Though alone, she was determined to carry-on independently and so for the past 22 years she maintained that independence by living alone, traveling, participating in many activities with the Bath Senior Citizens and spending countless hours with her family. For her 80th birthday she traveled to Italy with her two daughters for a ‘girl’s trip’ and in 2017 traveled to Alaska with a daughter for the cruise of a lifetime. Always a gamer, she took many bus trips with the Bath Seniors to various parts of the United States. She was a devoted member of the Days Ferry Congregational Church and was involved in so many of the Church’s activities and endeavors. As in her early life, she was quick to make close friends and one group that met weekly to hook rugs and stitch referred to themselves as the ‘hookers’. She is survived by her four children and their spouses: Fred and Joyce Parker of Seattle, Jackson and Susan Parker of Woolwich, Julie and William Greenlaw of Carrabassett, and Susan and Matthew Patterson of Warren. She felt blessed to have 10 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren in her life. To respect the dictates of social distancing, a celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery in Woolwich. Arrangements are by Daigle Funeral Home, 819 High Street, Bath. Condolences may be made online at www.Daiglefuneralhome.com . For those interested, donations may be made to: Days Ferry Congregational Church or the Bath Senior Citizens Center.