Rogene Waller Parris

The family will greet friends from 2-2:45 p.m. on Monday, June 14, 2021 at Ridout's Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham, Alabama. The graveside service will be at 3 p.m. that same day at Southern Heritage Cemetery, Pelham. Hospice Chaplain Ernie Willis will officiate.

The live-streaming of the graveside service for Rogene Parris may be viewed at the Facebook page of Southern Heritage Funeral Home, Pelham.

Rogene was predeceased by her husband, Richard Lee "Dick" Parris; and her siblings and their spouses, Hank Arends and his wife Ruth, June Kirsten and her husband Ralph, Marjorie "Mookie" Hays and her husband Verl, Gladys "Dolly" Henert Terry and her husband Don, and Raymond "Nim" Arends.

Remaining family includes Rogene's two grown children, Ardel and Lance; nieces, Norma (Henert) and Don Huntley, Brenda (Henert) Chapman, and Roxanne "Roxie" Weber; nephew, Terry Henert, D.D.S.; a plethora of great- and great-great-nieces and nephews; and several other relatives, close friends, and present and past neighbors. Rogene is also survived by HotShot, her cat and faithful companion of 14 years.

Rogene was born October 22, 1929 in Chana, Illinois. Soon after graduating from Rochelle High School in Rochelle, Illinois, she was introduced to Dick Parris and from the moment they met, he became the "the Love of her life" for the next 74 years, and she was the "Love of his life" for the 60 years until his death. Some time later, they eloped to Ringgold, Georgia, immediately relocating to Hoover, where Rogene lived almost 40 years.

Rogene was employed for over 20 years with the Dallas, Texas Independent Schools District. She was a lifelong advocate for families and consumers dealing with mental illness. She established the Alabama Alliance on Mental Illness (AAMI) in the early 1980's, along with 36 local affiliates. She successfully advocated (and cajoled) the major pharmaceutical companies to increase their interest investment testing and distribution of new psychotrophic drugs for all varieties of mental illness diagnosis.

Rogene played an important part in the settlement of the federal lawsuit Wyatt vs Stickney, one of the longest running lawsuits in America. The landmark decision of Wyatt vs Stickney resulted in the creation of minimum standards for the care and rehabilitation of people with mental illness and retardation in Alabama. Those standards have been emulated throughout the nation.

Rogene was instrumental in Alabama's rise from number 52 to the top 5 in the Annual Rating of the States, the preeminent determinent of service quality. She worked tirelessly with legislators and governors in Alabama to help advance the care of mentally ill patients, and she advocated with U.S. senators and Presidents, beginning with George H.W. Bush. For her selfless efforts, she received numerous awards. Even when her eyesight started to fail, she advocated and helped families however she could. When she called, people listened and took action.

Rogene was a major collector of Pickard pottery and other American pottery. She and Dick often traveled in the Midwest and the South to flea markets, antique shows, and auctions in search of Oriental furniture and antiques such as Satsuma. They, however, found some of their greatest joy at home in central Alabama, where their flair for flower-growing and landscaping made their yard a showplace. They cultivated literally hundreds of bulbs and annuals for every season, and their azaleas were magnificent. Brides from throughout the state would show up unannounced at the Parris home to be photographed in the colorful setting.

Rogene Parris's family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be made to the 1920 Club - A Drop-In Center, 1920 10th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205. Give at www.the1920club.org.