Edna Violet Parisi

October 15, 1927 - December 10, 2020

Edna Violet passed away peacefully, surrounded by her children, on Thursday, December 10, due to complications from pneumonia. She was born at home on October 15,1927 in Barking, Essex, England to George and Lillian Priest. She had an older sister, Vera. Prior to the start of World War II in 1939, mom enjoyed a childhood filled with music, gardening, bicycle rides and long lasting friendships. The war years were a challenge in many ways, yet ones she indicated were filled with love, adaptations and heartbreak. During the war she met our father and like many young women, traveled to America to marry “her American soldier.” She entered the country through Ellis Island in August 1946. We were honored to take her back there in 2017. On September 21, 1946, she was united in marriage with Charles Schwartzman and to this union three children were born: Janet (Stan) Grote of Bayard, IA, Ray (Andrea Lampert) Schwartzman of Chesterfield, MO and Linda (Bill) Sodemann of Lake St. Louis, MO. Mom became a naturalized American citizen in 1950, of which she was very proud and as a result felt it was important to exercise her right to vote. On August 28, 1982, mom was united in marriage with Joseph Parisi in West Palm Beach, FL. They enjoyed many happy years together living the Florida lifestyle of beach going, cruising, casinos, and spring training for Cardinal baseball. When Joe passed away in 2010, mom returned to St. Louis to be near her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mom was an excellent seamstress and an accomplished knitter, having learned knitting in kindergarten as all girls did at that time. Over the years, her extended family was graced with many handmade sweaters, booties, scarves, etc. and her famous dish cloths! She also enjoyed traveling, Mah Jong, crossword puzzles and Scrabble. In her “real” job, she was a bookkeeper and accountant even though she did not know the American money system when she first arrived in St. Louis! A great source of pride for mom was her 60+ year membership in the DBE (Daughters of the British Empire), a philanthropic organization comprised of women with roots in the UK. Of course, tea was served at every meeting! What brought mom the most joy, however, was time spent with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved an adventure, was giving and easy going, loving and strong with a bit of a feisty streak. She taught us to be resilient, independent, curious and to “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Her British accent was always a topic of conversation. Mom was preceded in death by her parents, George and Lillian Priest, husbands Charles Schwartzman and Joseph Parisi, sister and brother-in-law, Vera and Bert Harris, nephew Steven Harris, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Jerome and Bonnie Shainman. Mom is survived by her three children, 14 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren and also two nieces, one nephew, many cousins and friends. Mom was a survivor in every definition of the word. She was a role model for all and she will be dearly missed but her legacy will live on. A Mother’s love is the first gift we know-one we never outgrow. Mother’s hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. Living through the war, mom had many days of food rationing and food insecurity, so she understood the struggle. Helping the community to feed those in need, we are confident, would have made her very happy. She was also an animal lover who had a dog most of her life. Ray volunteers with Duo Dogs making visits to skilled nursing facilities and with residents in Hospice Care, accompanied by his own dog, Wally, as a therapy dog. The residents find great joy and comfort in petting Wally. We believe mom would be pleased with our selections of agencies to receive donations on her behalf: St. Louis Area Foodbank 70 Corporate Woods Drive Bridgeton, MO 63044 314-292-6262 Stlfoodbank.org OR Duo Dogs, Inc 10955 Linpage Place St Louis, MO 63132 314-997-2325 Duodogs.org The Family is being served by Valhalla Chapel. Linda Sodemann at [email protected] To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Edna V. Parisi please visit our Sympathy Store.