Rhonda Renea Parmley

The world has lost a shining light. On October 23, 2019, Rhonda Renea Parmley lost a four and a half year battle with brain cancer, defying the odds until the very end. In spite of her long illness, Rhonda never wanted to be known as a patient. She lived life to the fullest right up to the end, running a marathon with her youngest daughter Rebecca just weeks before it was discovered that the disease that ended her life too soon had recurred and was spreading.

Rhonda’s life was characterized as much by her passions - nature, family and friends, music, faith, travel and helping others - as it was by her many professional and academic achievements. Born on December 4, 1962 in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Nashville, Rhonda was president of her high school class and captain of her cheerleading squad before going on to achieve multiple higher education degrees, including a B.A. in Religion, an M.S. in Special Education and Rehabilitation and, later in life, a Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Colorado State University.

Rhonda’s professional accomplishments were many but all characterized by her desire to help others and improve the world. Early in her career she was a counselor in worker rehabilitation. She later became a private practice therapist. After receiving her Ph.D. she found a passion for teaching and subsequently taught at Colorado State University and Front Range Community College. She taught Women’s Studies at FRCC up through spring semester of this year. One of her most notable and cherished accomplishments was founding and serving as Executive Director for Healthkind Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to providing health services for women and children in Sudan, Africa.

Rhonda and her husband, Mark, shared passions for music, travel, nature (especially the Colorado Mountains), customizing their home together and running. They met while training together for their first triathlon in 2006 and have been inseparable ever since. Both have been politically active and volunteer workers on several campaigns. Both had children from former marriages that became part of their blended family with their loving commitment to each other. She brought three beautiful daughters, and Mark a daughter and son to their family unit.

Rhonda was a loving wife, mother and friend to many, and was loved and admired by many in return. Given an initial prognosis of less than two years to live, she lived life to the fullest for four and a half more years, defying the odds and setting an example for a life well-lived. She focused on her relationships with family and friends, maximizing her health and pursuing her passions. She was called a miracle by her doctors and the many who loved her were grateful for the long grace period before she took her final breath, with her beloved dogs at her side.

Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched.

Rhonda is remembered in love by husband Mark Forsyth; daughters Rachael, Anne and Rebecca Hamner (father Wentzell Hamner); step children Grace Forsyth Church (spouse Nick Church) and Charles Forsyth; grandchildren Jaxson Swick (mother Rachael Hamner) and Jack Church (parents Grace and Nick Church); mother Janie Parmley; sister Melissa Parmley Smith (husband Greg Smith); and loving canine companions Lily and Little Bear. Rhonda was preceded in death by her father, Forrest Parmley.

A memorial service will be held on November 23rd, at Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado. The service will begin at 10am and will be followed by a lunch/reception from 11am to 1pm, also at St. John’s. In lieu of flowers please make donations to St. John’s Cathedral, Denver, Co and Friends of Warner Parks, Nashville, TN.