Sheryl Sue Parris, 82, passed away on December 4, 2023 at Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson, Iowa surrounded by her family that she loved deeply.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, December 9th, 2023 at 11:00 am at Stevens Memorial Chapel, 607 28th Street, Ames, IA 50010. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the services at the funeral home. Burial will be held at Ames Municipal Cemetery following the service.
Coincidently or not, her late husband John also passed away on December 4, 1984, giving her children a bittersweet connection for their parents.
Sheryl Sue (Hoke) Parris was born on July 22, 1941 to Vera (Desart) Hoke and Marion Guy Hoke. She was born in the hospital in Rockwell City, Iowa. Sheryl was in the graduating class of 1959 from Rockwell City High School. She continued her education at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa. It was there that she met her college sweetheart and best friend, John Parris. They entered into holy matrimony on January 24, 1963. It wasn’t long before they added son Jeffrey to the family. Sheryl and John and Jeff moved to Ames, Iowa where their son James and daughter Stacie was born.
Sheryl began her career with Iowa State University where she was the ticket office manager at CY Stephens and Hilton Coliseum for 28 years. They lived on an acreage Northwest of Ames where Sheryl really started to enjoy having Arabian horses. They spent most weekends traveling to horse shows, making many friends in the horse arenas. She had so much pride in her daughter who rode and showed the horses. She spent much of her time outside where she loved to be. Sheryl could turn any yard into a showcase of flowers and plants. She was no stranger to having a big garden.
Sheryl really appreciated and enjoyed ISU sports, wrestling being her favorite. She became a member of the inaugural Board of Directors for ISU Wrestling. She also formed the Perry Hummel Rump Thumper’s Club, member of 1.
Sheryl was thrilled to become a grandma. She instantly cross-stitched beautiful wall hangings for each grandchild. She crocheted many beautiful blankets. She was also no stranger to traveling. She took her 4 grandchildren on many vacations and showed them the world. Sheryl also was a wonderful cook and her grandchildren came to expect and enjoy her homemade treats, especially her Chex mix.
In 2001 she again married her final love of her life, Darwin O’Connor on April 1st. They moved to Carroll, Iowa where she decided to retire from work so she and Darwin could enjoy life. They bought a summer house in Minnesota on a lake where they enjoyed fishing and boating daily, and they traveled south to Florida for the winters.
Later in her life, Sheryl and Darwin stayed closer to home so she could enjoy the great grandchildren and their activities that meant so much to her.
Sheryl is preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, her son James, and her brothers, Ron and Tom Hoke; sister-in-law, Pat Hoke; Step-sons, Dale, Steve, and Tim O’Connor.
Sheryl is survived by her husband, Darwin O’Connor; her children, Jeffrey (Paula) Parris, and Stacie Wright; her stepchildren, Brian (Jodee) O’Connor and Terri O’Connor; Grandchildren, Nicholas Parris, Nathan Parris, Melissa (Joe) Maas, Miranda Parris (Rick Tuhn), Vicktor and Kyla (Wright) Jackson; Great-Grandchildren, Landon Parris, Aaden and Alex Maas, Jenna, Jordan, and Jacob Tuhn; Step-Grandchildren, Kamryn O’Connor and her son Kenzo Green, Erin O’Connor; Sister-in-Law, Pat Hoke, Joan (Keith) Zierke. Darlene Haenel and Diane Hafner; and many, many nieces and nephews and a very special friend of the family, Brian McGee.
Memorials may be directed to the family in loving memory of Sheryl.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy can be left at www.stevensmemorialchapel.com for the Parris family.
