Billye Earlene Parrett

Billye Earlene (Evans) Parrett was born on December 31, 1945 to Lela Vieta and Willie Earl Evans. At an early age she attended Immanuel Baptist Church and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was baptized. She attended grade school at Sequoyah School, Alice Robertson Jr. High and graduated from Central High School in 1964. Her first job was with the Synar Brothers at Oklahoma Land and Cattle Company. She was then hired by the Federal Government to help with the Army Corps of Engineers to buy land for the Arkansas Navigation Project. When they left for Hugo, she was hired at the Veterans Administration Regional Office and worked in the C.T.U. section, then promoted to the Adjudication Officer Secretary, education clerk, and later retired as a senior adjudication in 2001. During this time she met and married in 1968 and on October 10, 1972, the joy of her life was born, Chad Alan. She was later divorced and met the real love-of-her-life, Robert Warren Parrett. They were married August 5, 1978. Bob could not wait to adopt Chad and soon Chad became a “Parrett”. The darkest day of her life happened November 24, 1990, when her one and only child, Chad and two of his friends were killed in a car wreck at Elm Grove Road and Highway 64. It was several years before she and Bob started to live again thanks to the Compassionate Friends which is an organization for parents who lose children. She and Bob were very active in the local organization with Elaine and Bob Brownell. For years we met and held meetings of Compassionate Friends. At Christmas we held a candle-lighting ceremony to remember our children. Each year since 1991, the Parrett-Light-Cook memorial scholarship has been given, at the awards assembly, to a graduation senior for Hilldale High School in memory of Chad, Jamie, and Wesley. In 2001, Earlene retired after 36 years of service to care for her mother. She was preceded in death by her parents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Earlene is survived by her husband, Robert of Muskogee; her brother, Bud Evans of Broken Arrow; and numerous cousins. Bob and Earlene belong to the First Baptist Church (Life Matters Bible Class) in Muskogee. Earlene loved dogs and helped Kate Paris start the Checotah Animal Shelter. She fostered many dogs and loved each one very much. The new shelter was built and called ‘Happy Paws’. Together they built the clinic with garage sale money, located next to the shelter thanks to Dr. Brady Robbins (DMV) and many volunteers. The family requests memorials be made to Happy Paws, c/o Kate Paris, PO Box 1083, 2218 N Broadway St., Checotah, OK 74426.

Billye Earlene Parrett

December 31, 1945 - July 17, 2022