Kimberley Ann Parks

Kimberley Ann Parks was born September 7, 1946 in Parkersburg, West Virginia and died February 26, 2024 in Saint Louis, MO. The elder child of Audrey L. Foster Roberts and A.M. "Bob" Roberts. She was raised in Trace Fork WV, Bloomington IL, and Doylestown PA where she graduated from Central Bucks High School in 1964. She attended Lake Forest College and the University of Missouri - Columbia, where she earned dual degrees in journalism and English literature.

She married Gary D. Parks on October 11, 1969 and they settled in first Washington and then Union, MO and raised two children, Beth and Brennan. Over the years her work as an "information provider" included local newspaper reporter/feature writer (Washington Missourian, County Seat Shopper); church educator/administrator/communications director/nonprofit exec. (Zion UCC, St. Peter's UCC) and earned an MA in media communications from Webster University in St. Louis. She served on the national board of directors of the association of United Church Educators and developed/edited the AUCE quarterly Newsletter for some 15 years.

In 2003, she received a Masters from Mizzou's School of Library Science and became a reference librarian at the St. Louis Public Library's Central Library. Among her other duties there she developed the Library's Grants & Foundation Center, an award-winning center for nonprofit and philanthropy research. She retired in 2016.

In addition to her husband Gary, she is survived by her children, Beth (Patrick) Healy of McDonough GA, and Brennan Parks (April Davidauskis) of Los Angeles CA; by her grandchildren, Kathryn and Grace Healy and Paloma Davidauskis-Parks; her sister Pamela (Leslie) Fleischer of Washington DC; her niece Gillian (Steve) Gaeta and Darcy (Ben) Nauman and a host of grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a Tree Tribute donation in memory of Kimberley Parks to Forest Park Forever. You may donate online here:

https://www.forestparkforever.org/tributes or mail donations directly to: Forest Park Forever, 5595 Grand Drive in Forest Park, St. Louis, MO 63112