Edward and Janice Parker

Janice Evertsen Parker, 79, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 11, 2024 at 12:19 p.m. in Rexburg, Idaho. Janice “graduated” to the next life EXACTLY four days before her eternal companion, Edward Carter Parker, passed away.

Janice was born on July 10, 1944 to Eugene Vorkink Evertsen and Anne Louise Horsely in Salt Lake City, Utah. The oldest of three children, Janice and her mother lived with her mother’s sister, Madge and her daughter, Nancy while their husbands served in World War II. The sisters and cousins grew quite close to each other during this time.

Due to Janice’s father’s work in construction, the family moved frequently because “work was controlled by the weather.” Winters were spent in Phoenix, Arizona or Los Angeles, California. By her eighth birthday, however, Janice’s family settled permanently in Phoenix, where her father built their home on Royal Palm Ave. Every home she lived in growing up was built by her father. “Dad was a hard worker, but he never complained; he just wanted to provide what he could.”

Janice described her childhood as “typical” as she enjoyed riding her bike, roller skating, and “doing things that kids mostly do.” Though money was tight, she felt that she had what she needed and “didn’t really worry about much.”

Her mother also worked, “which wasn’t common for women back then, but because she worked in the cafeteria at the school [she] attended, it didn’t really feel like she was working.”

As a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, upon graduating from Sunnyslope, High School in Phoenix, Janice attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and studied secretarial office management. Her time at BYU ended short of graduation, though, because Janice’s roommate, Sharon Parker, lined her up with her newly returned missionary brother, Eddie Parker, who had just returned from serving a two-year LDS mission in the Scotland/Ireland mission.

Janice married Ed on October 29, 1965 in the Mesa Arizona Temple in spite of stiff competition from other “more bubbly and popular girls.” It was Janice’s “shy way” and “spiritual glow” that “captured [Ed’s] heart.” When asked if she was sad that she married before she earned her degree from BYU, Janice replied, “No, I was happy to leave BYU because I was finding it hard to study and get good grades due to all the distractions of dating and socializing.”

After the births of their first two children, Jana and Brian, Janice and Ed moved their family from Phoenix to Montana and then eventually settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the rest of their children were born: Jeff, Jenny, Katie, and Jon.

Janice conducted her daily life living sermons on simplicity and raising her children in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She was grateful for the examples of her parents and grandparents on both sides of her family who taught her stories of her pioneer heritage.

Family life wasn’t easy for Janice. When Brian was diagnosed at age four with “mental retardation”, now termed “intellectual disability”, frequent visits to Primary Children’s Hospital became the norm, and shortly after learning about Brian’s diagnosis, Jeff was born, and then Jenny a year and a half later.

When asked what kept her going through the hard times of raising a young family, Janice replied, “My faith in my Heavenly Father and my Savior. Belief in their plan just makes sense to me. Through all the hard times, I truly believed that I wouldn’t be given any trial that I couldn’t handle if I kept the commandments and had faith. God has given me peace through my trials, which, in turn, strengthens my faith.”

Another difficult trial came in 2014 when her youngest child, Jonathan David, passed away. Janice recalled, “Nothing compares to the pain of losing a child. You’re not supposed to outlive your own children, but now, years later, I realize that Jon had lessons to learn that he couldn’t learn in this life. I am at peace knowing where he is and that I will see him again.”

Janice is survived by one brother and one sister and their families: Ted (Eileen) Evertsen and Julie Rogers.

Janice’s legacy of faith and family endures through her five living children, eighteen grandchildren, and three great grandchildren: Jana (Scott) Richards and their children: Abbylynn (Scott) Payne and their children, Lucy, Cecelia, and Ethan; Parker, Sarah, and Alyssa; Brian; Jeff (Allison) and their children: Ashley (Josh) Wardle, AJ, Jessica, Jordan, and Jake; Jenny (Ryan) Larsen and their children: Lily and Eloise; and Katie (Mike) Willden and their children: Olivia, Tregan, Eddie, Theo, Jonah, Conor, and Violet.

Janice is preceded in death by her parents, Eugene and Anne, and her son, Jonathan David.

The family wishes to thank all the caregivers, nurses, social workers, administrators, and staff at the Homestead Assisted Living Home in Rexburg, Idaho for their tireless compassion and endless care for Mom in her final months of life. We will be forever grateful for your charitable service and Christlike love. Thank you!

Edward Parker January 6, 1942 - March 15, 2024

Edward Carter Parker, 82, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 15, 2024 at 12:19 p.m. in Rexburg, Idaho. Ed “graduated” to the next life EXACTLY four days after his angel wife of 58 years, Janice, passed away.

Ed was born on January 6, 1942 to Floyd Carter Parker and Ivon Julia Stone in Jacksonville, Florida. The third of nine children, Ed grew up feeling “special and saved for special purposes.” “The tireless love and service of [his] mother and Aunt Clara” was something he gratefully remembered all his life.

Ed’s childhood was filled with family fun and constant laughter with his best friends: his family. Saturday night ice cream-making parties, drive-in movie adventures, and root beer float bribery for good behavior in church were some of Ed’s fondest childhood memories.

Ed learned to work hard by watching his father take on two and three jobs at a time to support their large family. From the age of 12, Ed always had a job of his own - paper routes and yard work - to help with family finances and his own needs. When Ed was 14, he recalled how his father lost one of his jobs and how he came to Ed to borrow money for family Christmas presents. Ed “told [his] Dad [that] my Christmas gift to him was that he never has to pay the money back, and he was not to tell the family… I saw my father cry for the first time.”

As a youth, Ed excelled in leadership and athletics. Though his family moved a lot during his school years, he always made friends and repeatedly served in student body leadership.

He participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track. Ed’s success led him to receiving many college scholarships, but injuries cut short any success he might have achieved in athletics on a university level.

After his high school graduation, Ed accepted a call from the Lord to serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Scotland/Ireland mission. This experience was a hingepoint for Ed as he proudly and often related every other life experience to the experiences he had as a missionary. Some of his missionary highlights included being set apart as a missionary by President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Joseph Fielding Smith; meeting President David O. McKay’s in Glasgow, Scotland; and being recognized by his mission president, David B. Haight, as “the running missionary”, who had over 200 baptisms when the average number at the time was only eight.

Shortly after returning from his mission, he was introduced to Janice Evertsen by his sister, Sharon, who was Janice’s roommate at BYU. Though Ed was dating three other girls at the time, he saw something different in Janice. Her “spiritual glow… captured [his] heart”, and they were married in the Mesa Arizona Temple on October 29, 1965.

As they welcomed children into their family, Ed’s career in shopping center management and commercial real estate development began to flourish in Salt Lake City, Utah. Working for Collier Heinz and Associates opened up many life adventures and professional opportunities for Ed, including serving as a statistician for Utah’s first professional basketball team, the Utah Stars, who were briefly owned by his employer, Jim Collier. Ed recalled his exciting first meeting with the phenomenal Moses Malone after the Stars signed him right out of high school.

Other professional adventures led Ed to work primarily in the intermountain west, but he always aimed to build business connections anywhere and everywhere. His insatiable obsession to grow his business networks kept him excited and alive.

Above all, through every season of life, Ed’s greatest loves were missionary work, laughter, and his family. He loved sharing the Gospel of His Savior, Jesus Christ and witnessing the joy that results from faith and conversion. He also cherished the sound of laughter and gladly played his part in producing it as often as possible with those who were with him. No matter what the situation or circumstance, Ed had a gift to leave others doubled over in laughter. And finally, his deep love for Janice, his companion of 58 years, their six children, eighteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren were what brought him his most profound joys in life.

Ed is survived by two sisters, one brother, and their families: Dianne Hunter (Tom Whalen), Richard Parker (Svetlana), and Terri Orsack.

Ed’s legacy of faith and family endures through his five living children, 18 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren: Jana (Scott) Richards and their children: Abbylynn (Scott) Payne and their children, Lucy, Cecelia, and Ethan; Parker, Sarah, and Alyssa; Brian; Jeff (Allison) and their children: Ashley (Josh) Wardle, AJ, Jessica, Jordan, and Jake; Jenny (Ryan) Larsen and their children: Lily and Eloise; and Katie (Mike) Willden and their children: Olivia, Tregan, Eddie, Theo, Jonah, Conor, and Violet.

Ed is preceded in death by his wife, Janice, his parents, Floyd and Ivon; five siblings: Fred, Sharon Waldman, Wanda Dorward, Craig (CB), and Tara; and his youngest son, Jonathan David.

The family wishes to thank all the caregivers, nurses, social workers, administrators, and staff at the Homestead Memory Care Assisted Living Home in Rexburg, Idaho for their tireless compassion and endless care for Dad in his final months of life. We will be forever grateful for your charitable service and Christlike love. Thank you!