Histories

Mary Ellen Parlett, 83, a resident of Jefferson Place in Pella, and formerly of Oskaloosa and Fremont, died Monday night, November 26, 2007, at the care center. She was born July 4, 1924 northwest of Fremont, the daughter of Frank W. and Sylvia M. Fuller Storm. She graduated from the Cedar High School with the class of 1942. Mary Ellen then attended business school in Oskaloosa. She then worked at the old First National Bank in Ottumwa. On February 2, 1947, she was united in marriage to (Randell) Keith Parlett at Long Beach, California, and Keith died June 6, 2006. Early in their marriage, they lived in California, but moved back to Iowa and together began farming near Fremont. She worked in the banking industry from 1945 to 1989, working at Mahaska State Bank in Oskaloosa for many years, and then Farmers Savings Bank in Fremont, and retired as head cashier in 1989. While working fulltime in Oskaloosa and later Fremont, she also worked on the farm, helping with dairy cows, hogs, and 160 acres of corn, oats, and beans. Mary Ellen had been an active member of the Fremont United Methodist Church, and enjoyed bowling in a league in Oskaloosa; ballroom dancing; card parties; her family and friends; and also did volunteer work at the Senior Citizens Center in Oskaloosa. Her family includes two sons and their wives: Randy and Patty Parlett of St. Joseph, Missouri, and Roger and Sharma Parlett of Oskaloosa; four grandchildren: Kristine (Neil) Alley, Michelle Parlett (Brandon Reece), and Megan and Benjamin Parlett; and two sisters and their husbands: Pauline and Bill Anderson of Richland, Iowa, and June and Paul Glasmeier of Thousand Oaks, California. Besides her husband, Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her parents; and an infant sister, Beulah Bess Storm. Funeral services for Mary Ellen Parlett will be held Thursday, November 29, 2007, at 1 P.M. in the Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa with the Reverend Robert Morris officiating. Burial will be in the Forest Cemetery at Oskaloosa. Visitation will begin at Wednesday after 1:30 p.m., and the family will be at the funeral chapel on Wednesday from 5 – 7 p.m. to greet friends and relatives. Memorials may be made to either the Fremont United Methodist Church or Mahaska Hospice.