Geraldine Parks

Services will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 23 at the First United Methodist Church of Canyon with Rev. Rick Enns, pastor, officiating. Family graveside services will follow in Gruver. The family will receive friends on Friday, January 22 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Brooks Chapel. Geraldine Wallin Parks was born into this life February 2, 1925 and departed for a fuller life on January 19, 2016. She was raised in Gruver by her parents, Frank and Lois Wallin, during the Dustbowl years, and she married the love of her life, Charles E. Parks in 1946. She spent most of her life in Canyon, where she raised her two children and was a faithful member of the First United Methodist Church for 50 years. For 30 of those years she cared for children in the church nursery and lavished love for many children in her home. In 2009, she moved to The Courtyards at River Park, a senior housing community in Fort Worth, to be near her daughter. There she turned her attention to loving her aging neighbors, most often with a kiss on the forehead at breakfast. Noteworthy beyond her giving nature was the strength of her character. She was ever upbeat and positive. When asked what she would want her grandchildren to remember about her in a recent interview for a documentary about her life, she said, "Whenever the hard knocks of life bowl me over, I get right back up with a smile saying, "I'm going to be alright." And now she is. The family wishes to express their gratitude to Gentiva Hospice and staff as well as the congregation of the First United Methodist Church in Canyon. She is survived by her three sisters, Mildred Leatherman, Frankie Leatherman, Juanita Bayless; a brother, Joe Wallin; her daughter, Mary Lou Street; four granddaughters, Raime Gerardy Heyneker, Camille Gerardy Milligan, Brittany Parks Arambula, and Andria Gibbons Garrett; two step-granddaughters Amy Street, Anna Melvin; plus ten great grandchildren. And, all the kids from the church nursery and her living room who considered her to be their grandmother. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to the First United Methodist Church of Canyon Children's Ministry, 1818 4th Ave., Canyon, TX 79015.