LaVena Colleen Parrish

LAVENA COLLEEN PATON PARRISH

Oct 2, 1931 – Oct 26, 2026

Funeral services will be held at First Baptist Church, Walters, OK, on Thursday, October 29, 2026, with Rev. Brad Spurlock officiating and interment in Walters Cemetery under the direction of Hart-Wyatt Funeral Home. Visitation will be held Thursday at the church from 1:00-2:00 pm prior to the service.

LaVena Colleen Paton Parrish was born near the township of Ahpeatone, OK, on October 2, 1931, to Donald Eastwood Paton and Trella Della (Irvin) Paton and passed away Monday, October 26, 2026 in Lawton, OK at age 95.

LaVena married John Walter Parrish on December 22, 1950, in Walters, OK, and enjoyed 75 years of marriage. They had three children, Paton Garland, Michael John and Lu Ann. She graduated Valedictorian from Walters High School in 1949. Attended Business School in Wichita Falls, TX. She started her career at Ft. Sill as a Secretary to an Officer in the Human Resources Department for a few years.

LaVena’s true calling was to teach music. She taught at least 900 students to play the piano and organ in her 63 years as a Music Teacher. She was a

member of the McDowell Music Association at Cameron College where she challenged her students each year to play their recital pieces by memory before a Musician/Judge at the McDowell Music Festival on the Cameron College Campus. Her students received many Superiors and Superior Plus’s throughout the years. She held a recital every year after the competition at the First Baptist Church along with parties for her students throughout the year.

She has always had a great commitment in serving the Lord at the First Baptist Church in Walters. She and her husband were very committed to teaching young adults Training Union classes, to singing in the choir and helping with Youth Choir. She was the organist for First Baptist Church for over 50 years and played for many funerals, weddings and other events when asked. John and LaVena led the puppet ministry for many years. She was a Youth Counselor at Falls Creek for several years. When the Church doors were open, John and LaVena Parrish were there. She continued to witness to anyone she met by handing out coins with bible verses on them and miniature bibles until her last days.

She learned how to oil paint and loved doing landscape paintings. She gave each of her children paintings to display in their homes. She continued to paint for many years until she could no longer accomplish the task. She and Johnny ran a firework stand from 1965 to 2010, some 45 years.

Lavena was preceded in death by her husband, John Walter Parrish, her parents, her sisters, Emaline Land, Stella Alice White, Donna Dee Dakis Kidd; a grandson, Levi Durbin and a great grandson, Devyn Parrish.

She is survived by a son, Paton Garland and wife Cathy Parrish of Ardmore, OK, a son, Michael John and wife Pam Parrish of Temple, OK, a daughter, Lu Ann of Bella Vista, AR; brother-in-law, Melvin Sexton of Moore, OK; sister-in-law, Maxine Ernest of Wichita Falls, TX; 6 grandchildren, Doug Parrish of Walters, OK, Charles Parrish of Oklahoma City, OK, Autumn Langford and Husband Lucky of Norman, OK, Nathan Parrish of Del City, OK, Jarred Parrish of Forney, TX, Luke Durbin and wife Holly of Lowell, AR; 8 great grandchildren, Ceara, Cal, Brinley, Danyca, Kilee Ann, Emma Cathrine, Avett John, Lucy Mae; other relatives and friends.