Ruth Corinne Parks

RUTH CORINNE PARKS was born in Billings, OK, to Lovell and Pauline McClanahan on April 4, 1926. She was welcomed into the world by her 8 year old brother Junior and they went on to welcome Berthalene, Geraldine, and Barbara Irene. The four girls were close in age and spirit throughout their entire lives. The family was in Jerome, Idaho, by 1931, and they settled in Idaho Falls about 1941. The 4 girls (Junior now in college) spent their teenage years in the yellow apartment building at Elm and S. Boulevard.

Ruth Corinne became "Corky" as a child and the name stayed with her to this day. Corky was guided lovingly by Pauline, was nurtured by her brother Junior, and grew to become a wonderful person. She was musical as far back as she can remember. Each day was ended with the girls all gathered in the apartment alcove (which also served as a bedroom). Corky playing guitar and singing duet with her sister Bert, (Songs like "Cowboy Jack" and "You Are My Sunshine"), Pauline close by humming along and tapping her hand in rhythm.

Corky went on to study music at Idaho State College in Pocatello. At the age of 20 she met and married Morgan Parks, thus ending her college career but not her love of music. She went on to add playing the dobro guitar and the organ into her 90's. Her musical seeds were planted into her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and many of those seeds blossom today.

Morgan and Corky, Morgan being 5 years her senior, tied the knot March 31, 1946. Morgan, fresh out of the Navy and a local boy, was able to build a home right away on his boyhood property located at the corner of N. Holmes and Lomax. Morgan's mother, known as Mother Parks, lived on the same property, "over-the fence". Within a few years Pauline and Lovell would relocate to just 3 doors down Lomax street. Corky loved the tight-knit family community as did her sons Steve and Dave, being able to spend time with "grandma over" and "grandma down".

Morgan soon became an Idaho Falls fireman and Corky lovingly talked, even to this day, of the "wonder years" of being able to walk the boys down to the fire station to see their dad. Life was good for a young mother with two sons in a tight-knit family in a small town.

Corky was a stay at home working mom, sewing drapes professionally for Ahlstrom's Furniture when she wasn't baking bread, canning, sewing, greeting her boys after school with a cookie and sometimes a recorded radio drama of Hopalong Cassidy. Nothing fancy but total stay at home mom support which continued until the boys went off to college. Her personal interests were making clothes and especially Duplicate Bridge. Pauline taught bridge and ran the Idaho Falls Bridge Club. Corky had a life-long love of bridge, running the Idaho Falls Bridge Club from the time Pauline retired, until she was 92 years old. Like her mother, she became a "Life Master", and like her mother cherished every bridge playing friend and every opportunity to play.

Her sons went on to start their own families. Steve married Martha McTammany and has a son named Morgan Tyler who married Tara Wiles, all four of them becoming teachers in the Twin Falls area. Steve and Martha live in San Diego, CA. much of the time, and Morgan and Tara live in Morgan's childhood home near Twin Falls.

Dave married Kristina Van Dolzer and they have a son Sean and a daughter Shannon. Sean married Teresa Peters, has two daughters, Courtney and Alaina and live in Maryland. Shannon married Jeffrey Heineman, has a daughter Elyse and two sons, Nicholas and James and lives in Maryland as well.

Corky focused her whole life on interacting with the people she loved. She truly appreciated every minute with every person. She had the rare ability to overlook the negative and focus on the positive. Corky was fortunate enough to be able to live at Lincoln Court for a few months where she grew to love the staff and facility in general. During this stay Dave was on site while I had to rely on daily phone conversations. In each conversation mom made a point to establish that she was fine and she tirelessly inquired about how I was until she was satisfied that I was also fine and being as happy as I could be. This was the essence of Corky. She loved life and she wouldn't rest until she felt that those she loved were also happy with their lives.

No services are planned at this time.

Cremation was performed under the direction of Buck-Murphy Funeral Home.