Mary Parmenter

INDIANAPOLIS-Mary Anne Parmenter (nee Mentzer), age 95, of Indianapolis, IN, died on Dec. 27, 2017, in Madison, WI. She was born in Grand Rapids, MI, on June 17, 1922, to Clara Crites Mentzer and Joseph William Mentzer. She grew up in Grand Rapids and then attended the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and graduated from the School of Nursing.

She met her future husband, William Warren Parmenter, while at U of M. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in early 1944, and they married in Grand Rapids on Oct. 28, 1944. After their marriage, she and her husband lived in Florida and Georgia while he continued his training. In 1946, he was assigned overseas for occupation duty and Mary Anne and their son, Bill, joined him Wiesbaden, Germany where their daughter, Mary Susan, was born. In 1949, the family moved back to the States.

She and the family moved to Vandalia, OH in 1951. She and her husband's third child, Jim, was born in Vandalia. The family moved to Indianapolis, IN in 1961. She was always a devoted spouse and mother and worked as a bookkeeper for a number of years after her youngest child was a teenager. She and her husband enjoyed playing bridge and traveled extensively together after his retirement in 1980.

She and her husband lived in Southport, IN until his death in 2012. After his death, she moved to Madison to be nearer her eldest. She is survived by her son, William Parmenter and his wife, Penny Eiler, of Madison; daughter, Susan Parmenter Nelson of Trenton, NJ; son, James Robert Parmenter of Bellingham, WA; grandchildren, Christopher Cook Nelson and wife, Laura, Eric William Nelson and wife, Wendy, Anton Martin Nelson and wife, Andreea, and Joseph David Parmenter; and great-grandchildren, Ian, Rosie, Will, Anton, Alex, and Lizzy.

A memorial gathering for the family will be held in Madison on Saturday, Dec. 30. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Salvation Army.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services
3325 E. Washington Avenue, Madison
(608) 249-6666