Mary Parrish was My Friend

I have avoided my iPad and phone all day.  I picked up a few times, but since I have been home, I kept finding other things to do. I knew that somewhere there woukd be posts telling me that Mary was gone and I just didn't want to read them.


But what I really want to say is that Mary was my friend.  When I went to teach at Comanche, that group of women were so quick to embrace me, to make me one of theirs.  They all are so dear to me. But a few stand out and Mary was one of them.

As a friend, Mary was precious.  I remember that when I found myself suddenly throwing together a wedding for Jack and me, she offered her and her husband's services as our photographers as a wedding present.  I never look at those pictures without remembering her and Max.  I am fairly certain she was responsible for the cake at Bella's baby shower, though perhaps Betty made that one.
They were the official cake bakers and decorators of the group.  We sometimes walked after school, up and down that hallway, looking funny in our skirts with our tennis shoes, burning those calories during the Weight Wathcers year.  We anguished over our kids together, mine a toddler, hers grown.

As a teacher, she was phenomenal, in the classroom and out.  We put on a prom together and chaperoned senior trips together after selling Lord knows how many suckers for fundraisers.  Mary and I teamed up for a year of after school gifted and talented classes for 5th grade (or maybe 4th), alternating her cool science projects with my creative writing.  I think I learned as much science as the kids did.  We did KidsPlace programs together, something I did for the money, but Mary always made it fun.  She just made everything fun, perhaps because she was so completely passionate and engaged in whatever she was doing.  She didn't do things by halves.  She taught her science classes without books, instead doing hands on work almost daily, even though she routinely stayed hours after school prepping labs.   Kids in her room got it.  If they were awake, she had them learning, and she had the most amazing test scores to prove it.  Better than that, she inspired kids.  I have no idea how many of our students went into medicine or bio medical careers becuase of her biology classes and her health careers club, but there are so many.  She may always have mixed people's names up (and she even had the grace to laugh at herself), but this woman could teach.


She was advice, she was laughter, she was always there for what ever I needed.  Mary, I am so sorry you are gone.  I am so thankful I got to be your friend.  I can almost hear you laugh right now.  Max, Crystal, Lyndsey, Carlton - Mary was a blessing.  Thank you so much for sharing her with the rest of us.