Margery Parker

Margery (Shale) Parker Entered Eternal Life on August 14, 2022. She was 101 years of age.

Margery Isabel Shale was born near North Freedom Wisconsin in 1921 and attended a one-room country school for first through eighth grade. Margery was a bright child. Her mother and grandmother started teaching her at an early age, so she was able to read before attending school. Thus, she was able to skip the second grade. She then attended Baraboo High school she was valedictorian of her class and graduated in 1938. Having earned several scholarships, she studied at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and graduated again valedictorian of her class in 1942. She finished her Degree in Speech and English. She was a member of Sigma Epsilon and the Phi Beta Kappa Sorority. Besides growing up on a Wisconsin farm, Margery lived in Honolulu prior to WWII, and after the war started, moved to Los Angeles.

Margery met her husband, Karl Parker while she was working at UCLA during the early 1950’s in Los Angeles. One of her co- workers at UCLA, Virginia Fog, introduced her to Mr. Karl Parker who was renting a small house next to hers, and, as they say, the rest is history. Because of Karl’s engineering work, the two moved to Brooklyn New York, and were married there on June 28, 1952.

During the time she and Karl lived in New York, she took art classes, and became an acclaimed artist, so much so that the New York Museum of Art exhibited her work. Margery’s art was a big part of her life. In 1956, Margery and Karl moved to Montana because of Karl’s engineering work building a powerplant. She was very active in that local Montana community with Bridge games, and other charity work until she became a mother to her twins; Shale and Margaret. After Karl’s project was finished, she and Karl moved to Los Angeles in 1960. Eventually the two started investing in real estate. They managed their properties in the Los Angeles area after Karl retired from engineering. Margery and Karl were happily married for 62 years until the time of Karl’s passing in January of 2014. Margery and Karl often returned to Wisconsin to visit her parents, William W. Buzzo and Margaret Shale, her two sisters, Shirley Crawford, Allegra Zick, her brother Howard Shale, and other family members living nearby. She never had a driver’s license!

Margery recently celebrated her 101st birthday on March 31st. For the past several years, she lived with her son, Shale, and his wife Meng Li in San Pedro, California.

Margery’s daughter Margaret, is married to Peter Schyvinch and lives in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Margery was been blessed with 5 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Allegra Zick is her only remaining sibling who continues to own the farmhouse in North Freedom, Wisconsin.