Brenda Parish

Brenda Lee Bockstruck Chapman Parish passed from this realm on Thursday, October 22, 2020, surrounded by family. She died from endometrial cancer. Memorial services will be held on Monday, October 26, 2020 at 4 PM, at Faith Lutheran Church, 1437 Southwest Parkway, Wichita Falls, Texas 76302.

Brenda was born on April 3, 1953, in Alton, Illinois, to Herman and Catherine Wren Bockstruck. As a teenager, she won tri-state awards in sewing, cooking, and shooting sports and a national award for creative writing. Brenda was valedictorian of her graduating class at Alton high School in 1971. She earned an Associate of Arts degree in piano and organ performance from Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri, and a Bachelor of Music degree in music therapy summa cum laude from Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico. Her clinical internship in psychiatric music therapy was completed at the Menninger Foundation, Topeka, Kansas, in 1975. Graduate studies in counseling and special education followed at ENMU and Midwestern State University.

Brenda was a board-certified registered music therapist. Early in her career, she also worked as a piano teacher and church organist. She was employed at Wichita Falls State Hospital and North Texas State Hospital for over 30 years. She loved working in music therapy with severely mentally ill patients. Later in her career, she also enjoyed working with hospital staff as Director of Standards and Quality Assurance.

In 1985, Brenda married the love of her life, Richard Burton “Rusty” Parish. Three sons were born of this union: Dr. Christopher Richard Parish and identical twins, Cody Herman Parish and Colter Charles Parish and wife, Aliya Siddiqi.

After retirement, Brenda reinvented herself as a fiber artist. She specialized in embroidery and needlepoint. She also enjoyed quilting, scrapbooking, card-making, reading, playing the piano, and caring for her family’s dogs and birds.

Brenda is preceded in death by her father, Herman N. Bockstruck, her father-in-law, Charles R. Parish, her mother-in-law, Robbie Parish, and her first husband, James Darrell Chapman.

In addition to her immediate family, Brenda is survived by her mother, Catherine Bockstruck, Godfrey, Illinois; brother, Gary and Pam Bockstruck, East Alton, Illinois; sister, Laura and Dr. Robert Wolverton, Washington, DC; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to 1 Million 4 Anna Foundation to fund Ewing’s sarcoma research (15301 Dallas Pkwy #1100, Addison, Texas 75001) or to Faith Lutheran Church (1437 Southwest Pkwy, Wichita Falls, Texas 76302).