Maria Parton

Josephine Parton Josephine Parton went to be with her Lord on July 7, 2020.  She was born in 1929 to Italian immigrant parents on the Satus where she lived 85 years of her life.   Josephine met her husband, Lowell Parton, at a Church meeting during her first year at WSU and was married a year later.  She and Lowell raised four children where they instilled Christian values, a hard work ethic, generosity and what it means to truly make a home. Josephine loved her family and loved to cook and everyone knew she made her famous pizza on Saturday and spaghetti on Sunday.  Family and friends always seemed to show up because everyone was welcome. And no one could escape without gaining a few pounds and leftovers to go.  Her house was also a second home to her grandkids, full of laughter, games, and adventure. She would share her love of good clean pranks – if she wasn’t pulling them, she would give ideas to others.  Have you heard the one about the laxatives? Josephine loved the Lord and her life exemplified kindness, generosity, and love. She and Lowell were founding members of the Toppenish Grace Brethren Church and were a deacon/deaconess and Sunday School teachers for years. She always had a way of listening and supporting others in a non-judgmental way. She would often write out Bible verses on index cards and give them to family members to lift them up.  Josephine was a high school secretary at the Granger schools. The staff and teachers became her second family.  She became a guardian angel to generations of students and she received so much joy watching students succeed and receive their diplomas at graduation.  She was the north star of the family and so many in the community. She will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.  Josephine is preceded in death by her husband, Lowell Parton; father, Patt Zecchino; mother, Filomena (Mazzarella) Zecchino; brother, Leonard Zecchino; and daughter Phyllis (Parton) Akins.  She is survived by her children Norman Parton (LeAnne), Sharon Heatwole (Doug), and Valerie Parton; nine grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.  The family would like to thank Highgate Senior Living for their love and compassion caring for our mother.  Due to the current COVID-19 situation, a public celebration of life will not be held.  In lieu of flowers, the family has created a scholarship for Josephine “Jo” Parton, through the Granger Alumni Association, PO Box 1, Granger, WA 98932 or another charity that was dear to her heart was the Yakima Union Gospel Mission, 1300 N 1st Street, Yakima, WA  98902. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Maria Parton, please visit our flower store.