Mary Yvonne Granger Parker
Mary Yvonne Granger Parker, 84, of Christiansburg, VA, passed into the presence of Jesus Christ her Lord and Savior on Monday, August 22, 2022. She was born on April 18, 1938, in Dayton, Ohio. She was the second of four children.
At a young age Yvonne’s father was stricken with polio, and so she had to take care of her two younger brothers and cook meals for her family. This allowed her mother to be able to help her father with the jewelry business, since he had a disability and used a wheelchair for mobility.
In her early teens a friend invited Yvonne to attend church with her, and this is where she learned about Jesus. Soon after she was baptized into Christ accepting Him as her Lord and Savior. She continued in her faith all of her life leading others to follow Christ. She was a member of Morrison City Christian Church while living in Kingsport, Tennessee and Pantano Christian Church while living in Tucson, Arizona.
Yvonne loved education, attending and participating in school while growing up in Kentucky. She decided to attend college at Cincinnati Bible College and study to become a school teacher. She loved helping her first and second graders learn how to read. After retiring from the school system, she continued tutoring and helping refugees from Africa learn and improve their English skills in Tucson, Arizona.
Yvonne married James “Jim” Parker on April 4,1969 in Kingsport, Tennessee. Jim and Yvonne lived in Kingsport, Tennessee for 36 years, in Tucson, Arizona for 15 years, and 2 years in Christiansburg, Virginia. Jim and Yvonne enjoyed camping together, starting out with a small tent, upgrading to a popup camper, upgrading again to a Scottie camper, and finally using a 22 foot Shasta camper. They loved campfires, roasting marshmallows, state parks, fishing, hiking, and even beach camping at Lakewood campground in Myrtle Beach. Some of their best memories include their longest trip camping for five weeks round trip from Tennessee to California to see so many great places in America. Yvonne loved making smores, talking to new people she met, and giving tours of the places she visited so others could see and know more about those areas.
Jim and Yvonne had one son, Phillip Parker. Yvonne was very proud that Phillip and his wife, Michelle, served as Christian missionaries in Thailand for 15 years, and still continue to minister to international students and refugees in Blacksburg, Virginia. They have two children, Nathanael and Hannah, whom Yvonne loved dearly.
Yvonne moved into Noble Senior Living in Christiansburg, Virginia in May 2020. The family wishes to thank Noble Senior Living for their excellent care and McCoy Funeral Home in Blacksburg, Virginia for handling all arrangements. The family thanks those who visited Yvonne, sent cards, and remembered her in their prayers.
Mary Yvonne Granger Parker was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Ruth Granger; brothers, Marshall Granger, Carl Granger, and Denny Granger. She is survived by her husband, Jim Parker, her son, Phillip Parker (& Michelle) and her grandchildren, Nathanael (& Sarah) and Hannah Parker.
There will be a graveside service for family and friends on Monday, August 29, 2022, at 11:30 am at Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin, Virginia (5550 Bagging Plant Rd, Dublin, VA 24084). A fellowship meal for family and friends will follow at Dublin Christian Church (5605 Dunlap Rd, Dublin, VA 24084) after the graveside service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the 501c3 non-profit organization Victory44 International (victory44.org, PO Box 447 Max Meadows, VA 24360), an organization that shares the love of Christ with international students and refugees. Online condolences may be expressed to the Parker family by visiting https://www.mccoyfuneralhome.com/
