September 24, 1936 –  March 20, 2017  Southmayd- Funeral services for Nellie Mae Parish, 80, will be held Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at Southmayd Baptist Church with Rev. John McCollister officiating. Interment will follow at Kendall Chapel Cemetery with her grandsons, Jason Blevins, Ray Jeffrey, Kevin Jeffrey, Arron Jeffrey, Adam Jeffrey and Cody Parish serving as pallbearers. Visitation will be from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, March 24, 2017 at Meador Funeral Home in Whitesboro. Nellie was born on September 24, 1936 in Blum, Texas to Pierce and Ola Belle (Keenum) Watson. She was raised in Dallas and graduated from Jefferson High School. After graduation she met Garland Parish who had recently come home from serving time with the United States Marine Corps in the Korean War. After a short courtship, the two wed on October 14, 1955 in Dallas County.
As a young wife and mother Nellie was a stay at home mom to the couple’s five natural born children. In 1970 the family relocated to McKinney where Nellie continued raising the children and helped Garland in his custom upholstery shop in downtown Plano. After living in several towns across the North Texas area, the family established themselves in Van Alstyne. At that point, Nellie obtained her LVN and began working at Hilltop Haven in Gunter for many years, until a disability caused her to retire. The family added two more children with the adoption of granddaughters, Robin and Brandy.
After Garland closed his Van Alstyne upholstery shop, the couple retired together to Southmayd. Nellie enjoyed watching her family grow, was a faithful member of Southmayd Baptist Church and member of Ladies Auxiliary of Veteran’s in Sherman. She greatly enjoyed traveling and seeing new places. She loved taking pictures and capturing memories of her loved ones, which is something that her family cherished after Alzheimer’s robbed her of the ability to remember those precious memories. She passed away on Monday, March 20, 2017 at Wilson N. Jones Hospital in Sherman, with her loving family by her side.
She is survived by her husband, Garland Parish of Southmayd; daughters, Terry Blevins and husband, Harvey of Leonard, Sherry Jeffrey and husband, Mike of Celina, Debra Kennedy of Southmayd, Robin Parish of Ft. Worth and Brandy McCurry of Southmayd; sons, Mark Parish and wife, Sherrie of Sherwood Shores and Gerald Parish and wife, Becky of Southmayd; 22 grandchildren, 21 great- grandchildren; cousins, Bill Nixon of Waco and Lanelle Long of New Orleans, LA and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Joe Watson; sisters, Joan Castello and Nora Annette and two nephews, James Norman Watson and T.J. Morgan.
Memorial contributions may be made in her honor can be made to Southmayd Baptist Church, P.O. Box 8, Southmayd, TX 76268 or to Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Dallas Chapter office, 3001 Knox St., Suite 200, Dallas, TX 75205.
To sign the online registry, go to www.meadorfuneralhomes.com