Wendy Susan Parker

PARKER, Wendy Susan (née Stark) – March 3, 1949-January 4, 2025. Wendy passed away in Toronto, Ontario, at the age of 75. Lovingly remembered by her daughter Deborah, and her stepchildren Gregory, Caroline, Roselyne, Margaret, Susan (North Bay), Daniel (Whitecourt, AB), Anne (Vancouver, BC), Jennifer Collins (Lindsay) (Maui, HI), and her step-grandchildren. She always spoke fondly of her cousin Hilary “Cousin Babs” Gendelman in Florida. Predeceased by her spouses Leonard Parker and Phil Bateman, parents Jack and Maisie Stark, and her dear aunt Hilary “Auntie Hila” Jones.

Born and raised in Toronto, Wendy had an early passion for learning and literature. She was an active member of her high school newspaper at Ajax High School before earning a degree in journalism from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University). Her career spanned various roles, including reporting and editing for the Peterborough Examiner, Sudbury Star, and Northern Ontario Business. She later became the communications officer for the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in Ontario. In her later years, Wendy earned an MBA through correspondence with Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.

A lifelong news enthusiast with a sharp intellect, Wendy was known for her encyclopedic knowledge of provincial and federal politics. She had a natural curiosity about people and could connect effortlessly with others through her warm, engaging conversational style. Wendy was also an avid outdoorswoman and angler, and enjoyed many cottage memories from Lake St. Peter near Bancroft and Jocko Point on Lake Nipissing.

A voracious reader, Wendy self-published two books, and was in the process of completing her latest novel. An animal lover throughout her life, she will be greatly missed by her pets Pippin and Merry. In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates memorial donations to TVO or Multiple Sclerosis Canada. Memorial visitation Thursday, January 30, 2025, from 4:00 to 6:30 pm at Giffen-Mack and Trull Funeral Home, 2570 Danforth Ave.