Jean was born to William and Regina Green in Plains, Pennsylvania where she spent her youth. Later the family moved to Montana and the Washington DC area as her father worked on Depression era construction projects. Jean met Lester Parkes at a USO dance during WWII, and they married in 1945. They raised their three children Gale, William and Nancy in New York and Connecticut. Jean was a secretary in the Norwalk, CT school system, and later worked as a GTE executive assistant. Following her retirement in 1986, Les and Jean moved to Olympia, WA, and spent winters in Surprise, AZ. After Les passed in 2000, Jean continued traveling between Olympia and Surprise, but eventually stayed in AZ year-round. In 2018, she moved to Kennewick, WA to be near family. Over the years, Jean made gorgeous quilt, needlepoint, cross-stitch and knitted projects that won many blue ribbons at county fairs. She made sure every family member had a personalized quilt of their own. The quilting was always done by hand, with meticulous attention to detail. She had an eye for combining colors and patterns that yielded true works of art. Jean had a mischievous sense of humor and a beautiful, radiant smile. Her physical being has departed, but her memory lives on in all who had the privilege to know and love her. She was preceded in death by her husband Les, brother Harold, son Bill, and daughter Gale. She is survived by daughter Nancy of Olympia; daughter-in-law Donna of Kennewick; sister-in-law Dolores; grandchildren Jen, Scott, Brian, Alan, Jason and Greg; step grandchildren Angie and Troy; and great grandchildren, and nieces. Interment will be at Olympia Memorial Gardens in Tumwater, WA. A private family time of remembrance will be held at a later date.