The Life of Liz

Elizabeth Parrish, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and inspiration was born June 10th, 1948, to Essie Mae Parrish and Moses Payne in Marengo County, Alabama. Elizabeth was the 7^th child of 16 siblings. Elizabeth accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age. On May 26^th, 1966, she received a high school diploma from Marengo County Training School.

Shortly after, she moved to Cleveland, Ohio at the age of 18, joined Starlight Baptist Church and married her first love, Cornelius White Jr. From that union, she bore her FIRST son, Cornelius White III. She also gained a bonus daughter Marvella (Bootsie) White. In 1971, she met and married Felton Holloway, and from that union, she had her BABY son, Rodney Holloway Sr.

In 1993, Rodney Holloway will give his mother Elizabeth a life-changing gift in the form of a granddaughter, whom she was blessed to raise up from an infant. She dedicated her entire life to supporting her children in any way imaginable.

In 1971, she pursued a nursing career as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at Metrohealth Medical Center. After 30 years of devoting herself to caring for patients all over Cleveland, she retired in 2001 from Spinal Cord Rehabilitation.

Then on,  Liz was committed to being an active grandmother and aunt full-time! From sitting in pick-up lines for school, going to sporting events, attending dance recitals, to meal prepping daily, hosting holiday gatherings and enforcing naptime, Grandma Liz was protective and phenomenal when it came to her role as a grandmother. She enjoyed instilling values of integrity, hard work and cleanliness.

She faithfully committed her time to the Lord in serving as the Mother of Heart and Hand Kids Church Foundation and Powerhouse Rescue Mission until she fell ill. At home, you’d find her humming and singing hymns about Jesus.

In her spare time, Liz found joy in shopping for fashion. She loved to look her best in all the jazziest clothing. She was one of the most confident women you’d ever meet. Also, the day wasn’t complete until she watched her sports channels. Any sport you could imagine. Lastly, she was passionate about being with her sisters, “The Nubian Queens”, where they catered dinners for the community, travelled and hosted family gatherings.

Whether you called her Elizabeth, Mama Liz, Sis, Polly, Boo, Grandma Liz or GramaGirl, she was an impactful person to all she encountered.

Preceding her death are 6 siblings: her sisters, Desiree and Roxie M. and brothers (in-law), Jesse, York, Frank, Charlie, Willie D. Parrish, Preston Bouyer.

Elizabeth Parrish leaves to cherish her memories her “2 Knucklehead Boys,” Cornelius White III (Corine); Bedford Heights, OH and Rodney Holloway Sr. (Nicole); Bedford Heights, OH. Daughter, Marvella White; Lyndhurst, OH.  Strong Siblings, Mary Francis; Warrensville, OH, Noney Jean Parrish; East Cleveland, OH, Gloria Dean Bouyer; Cleveland, OH, Dorothy (Ulysses) Robinson; Fairfield, AL, Veronica Parrish; Birmingham, AL, Charles Parrish (Clara); Cleveland, OH and LaRoy Parrish; Birmingham, AL. 10 Accomplished Grandchildren, Tasheania; Virginia, Lester Jr., LaShanita, Roniqua L.