M. Jean Parham

M. Jean Parham, age 85, passed into God's loving arms on September 23, 2014 in Bluffton, SC. She is predeceased by her parents, Furman and Sally (Carson) Parham and sisters Helen McConnel and Nell Free. A resident of Sun City, SC, Jean grew up in Clarksville, Georgia, where, as a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church, she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior at a young age. Unable to pursue her dream of becoming a missionary due to ill health, she found a way to serve the afflicted through the field of nursing. In 1948 she was admitted to Georgia Baptist Hospital, Atlanta, where she was awarded a Diploma in Nursing in 1950, and in 1954 was awarded a B.S. in Nursing from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX. Jean served as a clinical nurse in various hospitals in Abilene, Ft Worth, Nashville, and Atlanta in the 1950s and 1960s. After a stint as a nursing instructor at St. Joseph's Hospital in Ft. Worth, she discovered that her true calling was to be a nurse educator. Jean pursued a Master of Arts in Education from Tennessee State University, and thereafter served as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Nashville for many years. Highlights of her professional career include her tenure as the Director of LPN Programs for the State of Tennessee (1975 - 1983), and as the Nursing Education Coordinator for the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute, from which she retired in 1992. Often described as "her own person" by those who knew her well, Jean's passion for medicine was nearly equaled by her love of reading, shooting, and cooking. Yet, Jean's greatest legacy to her only child is the understanding that medical science does not trump compassion. She is survived by her son Mark (Laura) Chapman of Galloway, Ohio and granddaughter Claudia of Stamford, Connecticut; by her twin brother Howard of Columbus, GA; and by her brother Donald of Clarksville, GA. Although her soul has fled to that "bourn from whence no traveler has e'er returned", Jean will forever be remembered and loved by her remaining family. A celebration of Jean's life will be held at a later date, to be announced, in northeast Georgia. CARD OF THANKS Mark Chapman wishes to thank neighbors and friends of his mother who showed kindness during the final months of her life - those who provided her with assistance, transportation, meals, care, to those who checked in on her, called her, or knocked on her door. May God bless you. A celebration of Jeanâ