Patricia Ferguson Parslow

Closing the circle on a life lived with passion, grace, and a deep commitment to social justice, education, the environment, and the arts, Patricia Ferguson Parslow passed peacefully early Wednesday, March 26, at her Point Breeze home in the company of her family. Pat was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1926 to the late John Wilfred Ferguson and the late Vada Patterson Ferguson. She was raised in Muskegon, Michigan, and later resided in Annapolis, Maryland and Boston, Massachusetts before finally settling with her beloved husband, the late Dr. Robert L. Parslow, and their 3 children in Pittsburgh in 1965. A Masters graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, she retired from a career in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, where she taught English at Morningside Elementary and was a guidance counselor at Belmar, Greenway, and Westinghouse. Prior to her teaching career, she worked as a graphic designer, a newspaper "stringer" reporter for the Muskegon Chronicle and The Washington Post, and as Education Director for the First Parish Unitarian-Universalist Church in Waltham, Massachusetts. Pat was a lifelong progressive Democrat who ran as an electoral delegate for the ground-breaking Presidential candidacy of African-American Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in 1972. She was an early and avid supporter of Barack Obama for president. A champion of justice and the environment, she was a dedicated supporter of human rights and wilderness conservation. Pat possessed exceptional creative talent and produced beautiful works of graphic design, fabric arts, wooden furniture, and stained glass as well as compelling poetry and prose. An enthusiastic patron of the Arts, she actively supported Pittsburg's cultural institutions. She was an energetic traveler and lifelong student, pursuing adventure and continuing education throughout the US and on trips abroad with good friends and family. Fondly remembering and celebrating her life are her devoted children, Kerry Parslow and Becky (David) Aschkenas of Pittsburgh and Nick (Shari) Parslow of Saratoga Springs, New York, and her cherished grandsons, Meyer and Morris Aschkenas and Noah and Myles Parslow. She is also survived by her dear siblings, Jean Parker and Charles Ferguson of Michigan and Mary Kilian of New York, as well as many cousins, in-laws, nieces and nephews who loved their "Aunt Patsy". A memorial service is planned for Sunday, April 6, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. at the Phipps Garden Center, 1059 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh. Interment will be private. Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to: Amnesty International, The Nature Conservancy, or the Forbes Hospice. H. Samson, Inc. Funeral Home (412) 364-4444