Dr. Katherine Parrish

Dr. Katherine E. Hornsby Parrish, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014, at Southeast Hospital, surrounded by her family.

She was born March 5, 1930, in Roanoke, Alabama, daughter of Alma C. Philpott. She attended high school in Roanoke, Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While earning a master's degree in English at the University of Tennessee, she met and married William Bruce Parrish. They were married in Knoxville on Oct. 26, 1962.

In 1964 they both accepted teaching positions in the English Department at Southeast Missouri State University and made the move to Cape Girardeau. While teaching full time, as well as being a wife and mother, she earned a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University, an accomplishment of which she was very proud.

She served as faculty adviser to Sigma Tau Delta, honorary English society; was a charter member of Phi Kappa Phi; served as chairwoman five years to the English Department Library Committee; served as a program reviewer for English education programs through the National Council of Teachers of English and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education; serving as appointed member of the Commission on the Preparation and Professional Development of English Language Arts Teachers of the Conference of English Education; becoming a charter member of the Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar; participated in numerous programs and workshops of the National Council of Teachers of English; served as acting chairwoman for the Department of English before retirement in the fall of 1999.

She shared her knowledge and love of literature, language and writing to thousands of students and was known as one of the English Department's "unforgettable characters." She was a force to be reckoned with and her sense of humor, wit, accent and fish house punch will be sorely missed by family, friends and former colleagues.

Loving survivors include her daughter and biggest joy in life, Catherine "Leigh" Shoemaker (Tyson) of Cape Girardeau; sister-in-law, Margaret Parrish of Kailua, Hawaii; sister-in-law, Mary McClendon of Beaverton, Alabama; a niece and several nephews; and her devoted and much loved dog and cat, Brownie and Misty.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years; her mother; a brother, the Rev. Leroy McClendon; and a brother-in-law, James D. Parrish.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

The funeral will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Kim L. Ferguson officiating. Entombment will be in Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army or Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.

The family wishes to thank her longtime caretaker and friend, Tonya Thompson, for her dedicated care and compassion. The family also wishes to thank the caring staff and nurses from Crown Hospice and Southeast Hospital.

Online condolences may be made at fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.