Congratulations to Rosemary Parker
Meet our ExtraOrdinary Woman: Rosemary Parker
Rosemary Parker’s early years were shaped by her parent’s values including honesty, integrity, hard work, and helping those in need. Her present is continually shaped by her values and her skills as a parent and educator to benefit others. The future of eastern McLean County will continue to be influenced by her drive, empathy, and ability to bring others together.
Rosemary, age 79, helps rural communities thrive by organizing resources, education, exercise, and activities for its senior and at-risk populations. When she sees a need, she finds a solution. The ExtraOrdinary Women Project BN is proud to name Rosemary Parker its second-quarter ExtraOrdinary Woman of 2022.
During her formative years, Rosemary credits her parents’ values of responsibility, work ethic, and how to be a good friend to everyone. Her father, Austin Rich, started as an efficiency manager helping grocery stores become more profitable. However, his job involved a lot of travel and he desired to be home with his family more often, so he bought the local A&P grocery store in Lincoln in 1948.
“From age eight, I can remember stamping candy bars and cans, helping stock shelves, and sweeping the store,” recalls Rosemary. “We all helped at the store. My mother was the bookkeeper and my siblings worked with me. Probably most impactful though was seeing my dad help those who needed financial assistance when buying groceries. He’d say a benefactor was helping them out, but he was the benefactor. That taught me a lot about giving back.”
My mother exemplified patience, faith in God, and integrity. She was my first reading “teacher.” My fondest childhood memories are those of me and my siblings gathered around her as she read to us. It was a nightly ritual long after we were able to read ourselves. Mother never raised her voice and yet, we all four knew what her expectations were regarding our behavior. To quote my daughter Deb, “I had the best grandma a girl could ever have. She played dolls with me, and most importantly, I knew she loved me.” My daughter Staci fondly remembers grandma as always having sugar cookies for her granddaughters whenever we visited.
Rosemary graduated from Lincoln Community High School in 1960 and went on to study elementary education at Illinois State University (ISU). There, she started dating James “Jim” Parker, a boy she had met while still in high school. The couple dated for two years and married in 1964.
Upon graduation, Rosemary started teaching third grade and later transitioned to teaching kindergarten in Leroy. When the couple’s daughters, Staci and Deborah, were young Rosemary taught kindergarten half days. “That was really ideal as it allowed me to be at home with the girls as well as keep up my teaching credentials,” Rosemary recalls.
Once the girls entered kindergarten themselves, Rosemary returned to the classroom full time as a third-grade teacher. After a few years, she was asked to serve as Title I Director and instructor—specifically in the areas of language arts (reading and writing) and math. In the early ’80s the district was awarded a large grant which enabled the elementary school to have a student counselor and a student assistance team. She was offered the half-time position of Student Assistance Director which enabled her to work with teachers, parents, and students in coordinating services and intervention.
“What really inspires me is to see each individual child have that ‘light bulb’ moment where an idea clicks into place. You can see them bloom and gain confidence before your very eyes,” shares Rosemary.
“Rosemary continues to have contact with many of her previous students,” says nominator Barb Whiteman. “Some of those students have even become teachers themselves because they were inspired by Rosemary’s dedication. They want to grow up to be just like her.”
While juggling her full-time teaching job and parenting her daughters, aged 14 and 16 at the time, with her supportive husband, her mother Eva was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Her parents continued to reside in Lincoln and Rosemary was making the 45-minute trip frequently during the school year and daily one summer to assist her father whose own health was starting to fail due to stress and age.
Fortunately, Rosemary’s family stepped up and embraced their responsibilities helping to lighten the burden. “Initially I felt guilty that I wasn’t there for Staci and Deborah and some of their milestones and events in high school. They had to take on a lot of responsibility as teens and willingly helped out at home preparing meals and helping around the house among other things. However, I later realized that I was actually doing them a great favor by gifting them the responsibility to be the young adults they were. I really valued the girls’ judgment. My friends and other family members also were extremely supportive,” she adds.
Around this time Jim opened up his own Farmers Insurance agency too and was able to be at home more. Prior to that, he traveled a lot, and Rosemary shares that the family had a map of the United States in the family room to keep track of where he was. “It was a fantastic way for the girls to learn their geography,” quips Rosemary with a smile.
Eventually, Rosemary and her father made the difficult decision to place Eva in a memory care center and Austin moved to a nearby apartment in LeRoy. This made helping her parents a bit easier on everyone and Rosemary notes that she was able to spend quality time with both her parents.
“Through all this, I realized I was resilient and strong. I discovered an inner strength I didn’t know existed within me. I grew in confidence and became increasingly bold, enabling me to tackle my obstacles,” Rosemary confides.
After her parents passed away, Rosemary and her husband had to deal with their own health issues. Yet instead of focusing on her pain or limitations, Rosemary remains gracious and continues to go about helping others. If she sees a need, she organizes the resources to meet them! The impact Rosemary has had on our rural communities has been a true blessing.
Today, Rosemary serves as the president of Living Well United Senior Center, a grassroots organization that converted a closed-down Casey’s in LeRoy into a thriving senior center. She also serves on, the Mercy Ministries board, the J. T. Crumbaugh Library Board of Trustees, Coordinator of the Elizabeth J. Crumbaugh Assistance Program, Regent of the DeWitt Clinton Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, and as board president of the Empire Township Historical Museum.
Rosemary’s influence is felt by every community member of every age. One in-progress project that she is assisting with unites the local food bank, churches, the LeRoy School Life Skills class, and the Living Well United Senior Center. With her leadership, the seniors created a healthy recipe book with ingredients generally found at the food pantry. Each month, seniors take inventory of the food pantry to determine what additional ingredients might be needed. They then coordinate food drives when necessary and assemble the unprepared meals for distribution. The high school students make a sample of the given recipes and allow pantry customers to sample them. Rosemary coordinated this creative initiative to help food pantry customers make the healthiest choices possible.
Wearing a different hat, Rosemary helps Faith in Action reach out to small community residents who need assistance in driving to and from medical appointments. Rosemary is an assessor who visits those who request services from the nonprofit. “I had an assessment where I met a husband and wife. The husband needed rides to dialysis three days a week and I knew we could help him. However, after speaking to the couple his wife confided she had not left her apartment but maybe twice over the last year. I knew I could help. I talked to some women in a prayer group I belong to and between that group and Faith in Action was built a relationship with her and engaged in friendly visits, and phone calls, including bringing her books and treats. It has improved her quality of life,” Rosemary shares.
A new initiative of Rosemary’s is in honor of her mother and father. “I know the toll it can take to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Barb Whiteman and Rosemary created The Support Squad. Our goal is to offer a weekly service where caregivers can drop their loved ones off for some respite. I remember my father being overwhelmed at times and resorting to bringing my mother into the emergency room. I hope that by offering a small break, we can support our caregivers who support our loved ones,” Rosemary revels.
“There is hardly a person in our rural communities who doesn't know Rosemary and love her,” adds Barb. “So many have been positively influenced, inspired, and encouraged by her. She works so quietly behind the scenes, it’s as if she makes magic happen. In reality, she is sacrificing hours of time and tons of energy coordinating people/resources from past work and life experiences or diligently making new friends. Rosemary is always working for the greater good of others, and our communities benefit from her tenacity.”
When not volunteering or working as a substitute teacher in reading recovery, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, Staci Riddle, and Deborah Klamrzynski, and six grandchildren, Jordan, a music teacher in the Fieldcrest District; Madison, a traveling nurse, Kaitlyn, a senior in high school; Peyton, a junior; Brooke, 7th grade, and Jack, 7th grade.
Congratulations, Rosemary, on being the ExtraOrdinary Women Project BN’s quarterly feature. We appreciate your dedication to our community!
