Jewel Parkerson

SHREVEPORT, LA - On Saturday, June 20, 2009, Jewel Bruner Parkerson, 93, passed away quietly to be reunited with her lifelong sweetheart, Frank, and other dear family members who have preceded her in death. Jewel was born July 18, 1915 in the Bellevue area near Minden and grew up on a farm in Koran. Jewel first met her husband, Frank, at a singing convention at a country church, when he winked at her from the audience. This began a sweet love in which you rarely saw one without the other. Jewel graduated from LA State Normal College (now NSU) in 1937. She and Frank made many moves pursuing his career in the Air Force. Though a stay-at-home mom, Jewel stayed busy with her church work (especially singing in the choir). She loved to cook; she was an artist and an accomplished seamstress. She encouraged her children to read, explore the world and pursue knowledge. She took them to museums, plays, musicals, concerts, national parks, and art shows, allowing them to discover their own tastes and personal joys. Jewel also lived a Christian life by devoting time each week to helping others. In their later years, Jewel and Frank settled back in Bossier City and were familiar figures in the front yard of their home, watching the neighborhood children and drinking a can of "pop." Jewel loved children. In public she would frequently "pull over" a shopping cart or stroller in order to admire an infant. Jewel was a member of the Benton Presbyterian Church, Eastern Star, and the Bossier Bee Club. She is survived by son Victor R. Parkerson and his wife Sandy of Fayetteville, AR; daughter, Jillene Faulk of Shreveport; brother, Wallace Bruner of Slidell, LA; brother, Elton Bruner of Koran, LA; five beloved grandchildren: Shanna Duck (Stephen), Lee Faulk (Ramsay), Gail Parkerson, Carrie Faulk, and Katie Jackson (Edward); as well as four precious great-grandchildren: Sarah Duck and Emily, Haley, and Cole Jackson. The family thanks the staff of East Wing Live Oak Retirement Center for the excellent and tender care given to Mother over the past years, esp. Brandon, Virginia, and many others we fail to name. Our sincere appreciation also goes to Willis Knighton Hospice, esp. Miss Lucy and Margaret. Special thanks to Dr. William S. Hunt, her physician for 30 years. Jewel's long and meaningful life will be celebrated with a service on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at 10:00 AM at the Boone Funeral Home Chapel with interment to follow at the Doyline Cemetery. Visitation will be 6 to 8 PM on Tuesday.