Portage County obituaries for May 15-17, 2026

Laura Parker had the audacity to die on May 1, 2026 due to complications from pneumonia. At this point we believed she was invincible. She leaves behind husband Ken Parker to whom she had the misfortune of marrying twice (her own fault) and being with for 45 and a half years. She had two biological children who have been left to deal with their dad, Tyler Parker (Christina Parker) and Kassie Parker (Dean Eshleman). In addition to them, she is leaving behind hundreds if not thousands of (unofficially) adopted children. Any one could count on her to be Mom at the drop of a hat no matter what was going on with her.

Laura loved growing up in Mantua with her parents John and Peggy and sisters Sherry and Shelly. She would recall walking everywhere barefoot, including knocking ice out of frozen puddles. Her first job was working at Hammel's grocery store where she would learn everybody's name, pass out hugs, and take advantage of playing with all the babies that wandered in with their parents. She loved retail, eventually becoming a successful manager of the Circle K store in Mantua. In a turn of career, she spent several years doing resident care at the Hattie Larlham Foundation where she worked with over one hundred twenty residents, memorizing each resident's history, passing out care and hugs. She eventually made her way to Portage Medical Center where she worked third shift. She especially liked working with older patients in honor of her grandfather's memory.