Elaine Parker

Elaine Gail Parker, 74, of Wichita, KS, passed away peacefully in her home on November 15th, 2021.

The world doesn’t get many folks like Elaine (known to family as “Lainy” or simply “Grandma.”) Her love was unlimited, unwavering, and unconditional. If she knew you, she probably loved you. If she loved you, you were family.

A remarkable craftswoman, she could make (or mend) just about anything from clothing to cakes to carpentry. She didn’t need a pattern or instructions — she could simply take an idea and make it real. To us it was magic. To her it came naturally. And her drive to create was insatiable. Even as her health declined and her hands swelled in pain, she kept deftly working needle and thread to craft her works of art.

Elaine served multiple terms as the Mayor of the town of Longton, KS where she left a lasting legacy — securing funding to overhaul the town’s aging water system, successfully campaigning for a bond measure to fund a brand new addition to the high school, and organizing an annual town festival just for the joy of it.

Her favorite author, Terry Pratchett, once wrote:

“No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away — until the clock he wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life, they say, is only the core of their actual existence.”

By this measure she’ll be with us for generations to come.

Elaine didn’t want a funeral. In fact she didn’t want a service at all. She didn’t want the sadness and tears. She wanted to hear laughter and see smiles. She wanted bright colors and joy. In her honor, let’s seek that joy. It’s there if we look.

Let’s make the world kinder for her. Let’s do those random acts of kindness that you read and hear about. Open the door for the person behind you. Smile at a stranger. Compliment your coworker. Buy dinner for the table next to you or the car behind you. Help a neighbor unload their groceries. Offer comfort and understanding to a struggling parent with their screaming toddler or crying baby.

Seek a spot for kindness and fill it. The opportunities are endless.

She would feel so happy, so grateful, so peaceful to know the world got kinder and more joyful on her behalf! Share condolences at www.cozine.com. Arrangements by Cozine Memorial Group-Broadway Mortuary.