Janet Ann Loucks Parkerson's Obituary
Janet Loucks Parkerson, born January 1, 1933 died peacefully in her sleep on May 24, 2024 at the age of 91 surrounded by the love of family and friends. Born in Philadelphia to Dr. William Negele Loucks and Olive Wagner Loucks, she was one of the first cesarean births performed at University Hospital.
She graduated from Lower Merion High School and the University of Pennsylvania where her father was Chairman of the Economics Department at Wharton. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. After graduation from Penn in 1954, she worked as a social worker in inner-city Philadelphia with underprivileged youth. She then married Charles Hugh Harvey, a Wharton graduate and Penn Law student.
They lived in Cranford, NJ with their three children. In 1966, the family moved to Miami (Palmetto Bay) as a result of a job transfer with Exxon. Later, Charlie accepted a position with Eastern Air Lines, an opportunity that afforded the family with fond memories of summer travels. Janet was predeceased by Charlie who passed from multiple myeloma in 1972.
At the time of Charlie’s death, Janet was working as a part-time aide at Atlantis Academy teaching reading to senior high students with learning disabilities. Ever passionate about education and academia, she returned to college to earn a Master’s degree in Reading from the University of Miami and retired from Atlantis Academy in 2007 as Head of the Reading Department.
In 1975 she married Robert Parkerson, her daily postman whose Southern charm laid the foundation for their partnership. In 2007, they moved to East Ridge at Cutler Bay, a retirement community where they formed close friendships and she served on the Town Council. They enjoyed many years of traveling and community involvement together.
Janet was kind, cheerful, and loving. She will be remembered fondly for her gracious hospitality and sense of humor. Whenever hosting family celebrations, Janet would craft activities to engage all who attended. Whether it was clever word games or scavenger hunts, she was known to thoughtfully personalize her cards and gifts with heartfelt sentiment. For milestone birthdays and other significant events, she enjoyed creating personalized poems and photo albums, which will be cherished. She celebrated everyone’s successes and talents and always contributed kind or supportive words to those in her company. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.
Janet’s keen mind and sharp wit were agile until the end of her life. She continuously challenged her intellectual curiosity by following world events and politics, remaining involved in her community, fostering friendships, reading voraciously, and playing Wordle, the NYT Mini Crossword, and Scrabble every day. She had an impeccable command of the English language and was our second set of eyes on any type of document that needed proofreading.
She was a woman of great faith, a devoted, active and appreciated member of Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove where she was involved with the book club and the church-run thrift shop.
She is survived by her husband, Robert Parkerson, three children and six grandchildren: William Harvey, children Morgan & Shawn, and their mother, Lori Harvey; Scott Harvey and his wife Diana, children Ryan & Kathryn; Susan Murray and her husband Timothy, children Patrick & Katherine; and step-son Jeff Parkerson.
In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to Plymouth Congregational Church, East Ridge at Cutler Bay Foundation Helping Hands Fund or Associate Scholarship Fund, a charity of your choice, or simply pay forward a random act of kindness in her memory. A memorial service will be held at East Ridge at 1:30 PM on Sunday July 21, 2024.
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