Dorothy (Walker) Parish

Dorothy “Cindy” (Walker) Parish, 97, was welcomed home by the good Lord on June 1, 2025, after a long and adventurous life that lasted nearly a century. Most knew her as Mrs. Parish or the Colonel’s wife, but to family, she was known as Mom. Later it became Mom Parish, then MP for short and then finally, GiGi.

Cindy was born in Camden, NJ, on April 22, 1928, as one of three girls and the first of twin sisters to arrive, a fact she reminded her twin sister of every day. At the age of 5, Dorothy moved to Chase, MD, where she spent all of her youth growing up. During this time, she helped support her family through the formidable years of the Great Depression. She often reflected of her time helping her dad hunt rabbits for dinner or picking wild asparagus after spending all day in food lines. She fondly told stories of spending summer days diving from the railroad tracks into the Gunpowder River while ice skating on the very same river during the winter.

Not be defeated by the times, Dorothy would grow into a beautiful young lady, spending much of her early twenties swooning young gentlemen with her twin sister under the alias “Cindy” until finally meeting her match with Fred Parish. He was a young Texas-born Army officer stationed nearby and in 1950, she and her new Army officer would tie the knot. Her new military life would quickly take her to Alabama and then back to Maryland before starting a lifetime of moves to Germany, Virginia, Panama, Maryland for a third time, until finally settling in Corpus Christi, TX in 1971. Along the way, Dorothy would have four wonderful kids, Dawn, Dane, Denise, and Brady.

Dorothy was of the Greatest Generation, often reflected in her frugal lifestyle and tenacious spirit. She withstood the hardships of the Great Depression, served her time in an assembly line during WWII, and bore the burden of a career military spouse during the Korean War. MP was feisty, fearless and always told it like it is but she loved life and lived it to the fullest. She took advantage of every adventure, even if it meant flirting with German POWs as a teenager or shooting down water roller coasters at Schlitterbahn with her grandkids. She was known far and wide for her prowess at golf and bowling, winning many club championships and in case you forgot, she would remind you. Her love of golf was barely surpassed by her devotion to her sisters and grandchildren. Not a day would go by without spending hours talking to her sisters, attending dozens of sports games for her grandchildren and blaming the refs for everything. Her children, 13 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren were her life and legacy and thankfully she got to spend the last few years surrounded by all of them. We will miss her cheering us on in the stands or griping us out about this or that. We will miss her telling us how it is going to be and how we are going to do it. We will miss her guidance and her laugh. We will miss her generosity and her wit. We will miss her dearly.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Henry Walker and Dorothy Margaret (Dehart) Walker; her husband, Fred Parish; twin sister, Sarah Brannon; her son, Dane Parish; and her sons-in-law, Mike Schreck and Pat O’Brien.

She is survived by her older sister, Francis Scafalani of Edgewood, MD; her daughters, Dawn Schreck and Denise O’Brien; her son, F. Brady and Natalie Parish, 13 grandkids; and 34 great-grandchildren.

A Rosary will be recited at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Galloway & Sons Chapel in George West followed by a memorial service at 10:30 a.m. All are invited to attend.

In honor of Dorothy’s memory, please send donations or offerings to Smile Train, St. Jude’s charity or one of your choosing.