Mary 'Kathy' Katherine Parker

Kathy Parker, daughter of Tom and Tomasita (Whitcomb) Rider, was born on August 10, 1948 in Monterey, California, and departed this life on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at her home in Norwood, Missouri surrounded by her husband and family.


Kathy grew up in Monterey, California, and attended school at Sea Side High School in Sea Side, California. She was united in marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Mike Parker, on July 20, 1969 in Carson City, Nevada. In the summer of 1979 they purchased a dairy farm in Norwood, Missouri, and shortly thereafter, relocated to pursue Mike’s “life-long” dream of milking cows for a living. Although supportive, but yet very skeptical of the move they made to Missouri, Kathy jumped right in and became a dairy farmer over night. They milked their cows together, side by side for 30 years.
On May 15, 2008, Kathy was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer, preventing her from continuing to work on their dairy. In February of 2009, Mike sold the dairy cows and helped his daughters take care of Kathy fulltime.


Kathy was a loving, caring, and devoted wife and mother. She loved life on the farm and even had names for her favorite milk cows. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and her youngest daughter’s pot belly pig, Sophie, which she referred to as her “grandpig.” Anyone that knew Kathy knew she loved to talk and visit and always had the best sense of humor. She could always make you laugh and acted as though she never met a stranger. She will forever be missed by those who knew and loved her.

Kathy was preceded in death by her father: Tom Rider; her son: Doug Busby; and a nephew: Joe Purham.


She is survived by her husband: Mike Parker of Norwood, Missouri; her mother: Tomasita Rider of Ozark, Missouri; three daughters: Barbie Dewey of Ozark, Missouri, Bev Morrow of Chelshire, Oregon, and Becky Parker of Mtn. Grove, Missouri; one brother: John Rider of Seymour, Missouri; one sister: Judy Hicks of Ozark, Missouri; five grandchildren: Josh Busby of Salinas, Missouri, Ryan Dewey of Ozark, Missouri, Hailey Pojar of Nixa, Missouri, Madison and McKenzie Morrow of Chelshire, Oregon; one great-grandson: Jackson Pojar of Nixa, Missouri; and a granddog: Oliver Parker of Mtn. Grove, Missouri; numerous nieces and nephews in Ozark, Missouri and Modesto, California.