Florence Evelyn Ainsworth1

F, #32568, b. Jan 19, 1929, d. Jan 3, 2019
Father*Cornelius Ernest Ainsworth1 b. Jan 25, 1875, d. Sep 30, 1959
Mother*Gladys Mabel Howe1 b. Jun 16, 1908, d. Aug 13, 2005

Family

Neil Everett Parks b. Dec 26, 1920, d. Dec 17, 1988

Chronological Events

Birth*Jan 19, 1929 Florence Evelyn Ainsworth was born on Jan 19, 1929 at Walden, Caledonia County, Vermont, United States.1 
 She was the daughter of Cornelius Ernest Ainsworth and Gladys Mabel Howe.1 
Marriage*Sep 3, 1948 Florence Evelyn Ainsworth married Neil Everett Parks, son of Llewellyn Everett Parks and Josephine May Pilbin, on Sep 3, 1948 at Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont, United States.2 
Death*Jan 3, 2019 Florence Evelyn Ainsworth died on Jan 3, 2019, at age 89 at Colchester, Chittenden County, Vermont, United States.3 
ObituaryJan 7, 2019  OBITUARY: Florence Evelyn Ainsworth Parks passed away peacefully on Jan. 3, 2019, just shy of her 90th birthday at The McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt. Florence was born in Walden, Vt., on Jan. 19, 1929, to Cornelius and Gladys (Howe) Ainsworth. Her father had 8 children from a previous marriage, and Florence spoke fondly of all 11 of her siblings throughout her life, often sharing happy memories of her childhood with her own children and grandchildren.

Florence spent many years in the Walden area. She attended the Wiggins School in Walden, Vt., Cabot High School, and graduated from Hardwick Academy in 1947. After graduating from high school, she worked briefly for National Life Insurance Company in Montpelier, Vt.

On Sept. 3, 1948, Florence married Neil Parks of Hardwick, Vt., and soon gave up working outside the home to start a family. They welcomed 8 children over the years, and there was never a dull moment. Times were not always easy, but Florence proved to be a loving, devoted mother. She took advantage of every opportunity to teach or encourage her children, and she was never too busy to share giggles. She enjoyed gardening, canning, was creative in the kitchen, and could always figure out ways to stretch the food budget to meet the needs of her large family. Some of her specialties were homemade donuts, fresh bread, and raspberry squares. She wrote poetry and was never short of ideas to keep her children entertained. As her children grew and she had more time, she enjoyed selling Avon products to her friends and neighbors. In the fall of 1976, Neil and Florence relocated to Toomsuba, Miss., with the children who were still living at home. Neil passed away on Dec. 17, 1988, and Florence continued to reside in Mississippi. She was strong, intuitive, and very independent. She loved driving and enjoyed long road trips to visit her children and grandchildren. After several visits to Alamogordo, New Mexico, Florence relocated there in 2002 and lived there until her return to Vermont in 2016.

Florence loved her children and grandchildren unconditionally and was proud of each one. When she could not be near them, they were in her thoughts. She loved to crochet baby blankets almost as much as she loved to snuggle the newborn babies. Children were special to her, and they happily thrived in her presence. She was accepting, patient, fun, and loved to laugh. Her contagious giggle will be missed.

Florence is survived by her 8 children; a sister; 15 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a grandson.

Published in the Caledonian Record - Jan 07, 2019.4

 
Burial*Jan 8, 2019 She was buried on Jan 8, 2019 at South Walden Cemetery, South Walden, Caledonia County, Vermont, United States, Find A Grave Memorial# 199335633.5 

Citations

  1. [S1094] Vermont - Birth Record, online at Ancestry.com.
  2. [S2194] Vermont - Marriage Record, online at Ancestry.com.
  3. [S79] Gravestones - Find-A-Grave.com, online at findagrave.com.
  4. [S19] Obituary - Online, Newspaper or Funeral Home.
  5. [S58] Gravestones - Death Cert, Find-A-Grave, BillionGraves.