Elsie Emma Parker, 93, of Pensacola, FL, died on Monday, November 16, 2020.

Miss Parker was born October 7, 1927, to Ernest and Ethel Harrison Parker in Jackson, MS. She was educated in the Jackson, MS, public schools. She graduated from Jackson Central High School in August 1945. She graduated from Copiah-Lincoln Junior College in May 1947, with an AA degree. She then attended Mississippi Woman's College, which later became William Carey University, graduating in May 1949. Her BA majors were sociology and Mississippi history. She later earned the MA degree with a major in counseling from Florida State University.

Miss Parker was employed by the Escambia County School District as Coordinator of Guidance Services for 27 years, until her retirement in 1991. Previously she had been a teacher and a guidance counselor at Tate Junior/Senior High School. Before coming to Pensacola, she taught social studies at Vicksburg Junior/Senior High School in Mississippi.

Miss Parker was active in both the local and the state counseling associations, serving on the boards of both. She was president of the Florida Counseling Association in 1977-78. She also served on the boards of various local organizations, including CDAK, the Pensacola Choral Society, Impact 100, and Escambia Retired Educators Association. Miss Parker was Employee of the Year of the Escambia County School District in 1990. In 1991, the Florida Counseling Association dedicated their state convention to her. She was named Outstanding Alumna of Mississippi Woman's College in 1997, and she was Escambia Retired Educator of the Year in 2002.

She is preceded in death by her parents; her only sibling, Jean Nowell of Philadelphia, MS; as well as her cousin, Marion Parker of Wiggins, MS.

She is survived by her cousin, Thomas (Lisa) Parker of Wiggins, MS; his daughter, Ashley (Brent) Ladnier of Wiggins, MS; his son, Tyson (Claire) Parker of Lumberton, MS; his granddaughter, Brittney Ladnier of Wiggins, MS; and close friends, Beverly Barberi, Myrna Rosa Martin, Sharron Catledge, Martha Hopkins, Judy Green, Bill and Anita Clarke, Anne Gajda, Trudie Sherwood, and Susan Chamberlin.

Miss Parker had many hobbies. She loved to read, to travel, to sing, to volunteer in charitable organizations, to listen to classical music, and to lunch with her friends. She participated for years in the Pensacola Thursday Night Book Club. She explored England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland by car several times with three of her close friends.

Visitation will be held 10:00am until a memorial service to begin at 11:00am Thursday, October 7, 2021, at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, Pensacola, FL. Miss Parker's ashes will be placed next to her parents at Lakewood Cemetery in Jackson, MS.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Reading Is Fundamental, 1885 Brenda Ave., Pensacola, FL 32506, or to a charity of one's choice.

Special thanks go to Visiting Angels of Pensacola for their care of Miss Elsie.

Click this link to view additional details about Elsie's Services, including any available live streams: https://my.gather.app/remember/elsie-parker