"Beloved Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother"
Joan M. (Brady) Parks, 82 of Lowell, passed away on Friday, October 15, 2021 at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was the widow of the late Lester Parks who passed away in January of 1982.
She was born in Lowell on January 3, 1939 and was a daughter of the late Joseph and the late Evelyn (Mercier) Brady. She was raised in Lowell, attended Immaculate Conception Grammar School, where she played basketball, before graduating from Lowell High School.
Parksy, as she was affectionately known, was a lifelong Lowell resident and communicant of Immaculate Conception Church. She enjoyed playing bingo. In her younger days, she worked in Lowell’s shoe shops including Carroll Shoe and Grace Shoe. Before her retirement, she worked for over 28 years as a nurses assistant at Tewksbury State Hospital, where she was recognized many times over the years for perfect attendance. Above all else, time spent with her family, especially her daughters and grandchildren brought her the most happiness.
She is survived by two daughters, Rita M. Parks and her companion, Kevin Hamel of Lowell, and Deborah A. Parks and her companion, Nelson Gonzalez of Lowell; her grandchildren, Kevin Hamel Jr. and his wife, Jennifer LeClair of Nashua, NH, Lacey Hamel and her companion, Josh Eshelman of Haverhill, Erin Pestana of Lowell, Ricky Pestana and his companion, Kaitlyn Noel of Lowell, Melissa Melonson of Lowell, Joseph Melonson of Lowell, and Troy Parks and his wife, Amanda Smart of Salem, NH.
She is also survived by her great grandchildren; her sisters, Deborah Mack of N. Chelmsford, and Melissa Beausoleil and her husband, Richard of Lowell; her two brothers in law, David Marcouillier of Lowell, and Richard Dion of Lowell; her sister in law, Catherine Brady of Lowell; many nieces and nephews including Britt Euler and Mary Brady, who were very special to her, and many dear friends at Bishop Markum in Lowell.
Parksy was welcomed into heaven by her husband, the late Lester Parks, her parents, the late Joseph and Evelyn Brady; her two sons, the late Joseph and Lester 'Gus' Parks; her brothers, the late James, Robert, Jack, and Gerald Brady; and her sisters, Janice Cormier, Barbara Brady, Carol Karvelas, Lana Dion and Pamela Marcouillier and her brother in law the late Charles Mack.
ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021 ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND HER CALLING HOURS FROM 4-8 P.M. AT THE MCDONOUGH FUNERAL HOME, 14 HIGHLAND STREET, LOWELL, 978-458-6816.
HER FUNERAL WILL BEGIN ON THURSDAY AT 9 A.M. AT THE FUNERAL HOME, FOLLOWED BY HER FUNERAL MASS AT 10 A.M. AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 144 E. MERRIMACK STREET, LOWELL. BURIAL WILL TAKE PLACE AT ST. PATRICK CEMETERY.