Community mourns the loss of Cherie Parker, well-known blood donation advocate

Former Lifeline Blood Services Public Relations Coordinator Cherie Parker died Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. She was 59 years old.

She was best known for the plethora of advertisements and events she organized for the company, and her family gave a “behind the scenes” look at her life at her funeral last Thursday. 

Parker’s sister, Beth Cathey, and niece, Elizabeth James, gave her eulogy, and thanked the West Tennessee community for the outpouring of love they have received. 

At the service, handwritten notes, artwork, pictures of her with friends and family were displayed.

They told the story of her life, her faith, and all the things she loved, including her husband. 

They said the two met when Cherie decided to take tennis lessons, which she wasn’t too good at. However, she won over her coach: James Parker. 

“I’m not sure she was touching the ground, she was so excited,” Cathey said about her sister attending the tennis lessons. 

Cherie and James Parker were together for 15 years. 

Pastor Stacy McCollum spoke to Parker’s unwavering faith. He pointed to Proverbs 16:9, saying “The Lord directs his steps.” 

Parker worked for Lifeline Blood Services for 28 years before she retired two years ago. She was diagnosed with cancer not long after that. Her family says her faith carried her through until the very end. 

“She would want everyone to know her Christian Faith was the most important part of her life,” were the words from most everyone who spoke about Parker, a testament that she lived out not only in words, but also in action. 

She traveled twice to Ukraine to work in orphanages, served ladies and children through Hartland Place Ministries, helped organize and speak at numerous events, sang in the choir, and enjoyed serving with her husband in teaching Bible classes.

McCollum said it was at one of those Bible classes through Hartland Place Ministries that Parker heard a woman saying she couldn’t afford her utilities bill for that month. Without hesitation, Parker wrote a check for the amount needed– and told her husband later. 

“The minute she met someone, she was fully invested in loving that person,” James said. 

Parker leaves behind her husband: James Parker, of Jackson, TN; father: Dr. Bob D. Hale, of Humboldt, TN; sister: Beth Hale Cathey (Roger), of Oakfield, TN; son: Bobby Parker (Chelsea), of Hendersonville, TN; daughter: Karen Chapman (Brandon), of Jackson, TN; niece: Elizabeth James (Jon), of Humboldt, TN; nephews: Christian Cathey and Cannon Cathey, of Oakfield, TN and Carson Cathey, of Nutley, NJ; great-nephew: William James; great-niece: Allie James, of Humboldt, TN; grandsons: Ford Parker and Fisher Parker, of Hendersonville, TN, plus an abundance of extended family and friends. 

Julia Ewoldt, julia@jacksonpost.news