Kathleen Parker Obituary

How can you sum up a fire come to life? Kathleen Sheridan Parker, aged 74, of Buchanan, Michigan passed away September 4, 2025 surrounded by family at Corewell Hospital in St. Joseph after a sudden illness. She was born July 31, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan.

Kathleen, Kathy, or Kate, was a force of nature unto herself. Raised in a large Irish clan in Detroit, she embraced life with both hands and a spark that would carry her through the turbulent sixties and seventies. She pursued her love of writing and became an intrepid journalist before she'd even finished college, working in Rochester, Michigan for the Rochester Eccentric. She used her talent with words to dig into the community before following her heart to the other side of Michigan in 1979.

When she arrived in the Berrien County area, she wielded her pen differently, becoming the sole female founding partner of Marketing Partners. Her ad copy and the campaigns she spearheaded were award-winning and renowned across the country. She continued to hone her investigative journalism skills in the mid-1990s, contributing to Irish and Northern Irish papers covering the peace process in Northern Ireland. She shifted gears once more and returned fully to her passion, journalism, in 1999, covering pageants, council meetings, and other local interest stories across Berrien County for the Herald Palladium.

In her later years, she enjoyed retirement and being a grandparent. Her home became known as a place of refuge, where friends and family alike could pet a chicken or a cat, help harvest vegetables, and always find a welcoming ear, a plate of food, and an abundance of hugs. She loved stories and loved to laugh, and more than anything, she loved her family. Her final act on this Earth was giving life and hope to others through the gift of organ donation.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Eugene and Rita Sheridan, and a sister, Colleen Torres.

She is survived by her two daughters, Emily (Christopher) Taylor, and Rachel (Jaryn Ruggless) Reed, and her seven grandchildren, Shannon (Jeff Gordon) Taylor, Sarah (Dagan) Carmean, Alex Taylor, Ben Taylor, CJ Taylor, Gene Ruggless, and Rosalie Ruggless. And two great-granddaughters, Avalyn and Melody Gordon. Her sister, Maureen Snyder, and brother and brother-in-law, Patrick Sheridan and Steve Snyder also survive her, as well as generations of her nieces and nephews: Dana (Kevin Hudson) Kunna, Laura Snyder, Deanna (Randi Bojoka) Kunna, Nick (Eva Pietri) Torres, Christine (Zach Jacobs) Sheridan, Erin (Gabe Guzman) Sheridan, Connor Sheridan, Joe (Danyelle Tyrrell) Snyder, Nathan (Kari) Torres, Hannah Sheridan, Nevin (Naomi Flanagan) Torres, Ean Miller, Grace Jacobs, Breanna Guzman, Walt Jacobs, and Elijah Snyder. She is also survived by cousins Diana Adams, Susan (Red) Griffiths-Seewerker and Sean Palm.

Services will be held at Berrien Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4340 Lincoln Ave, St Joseph, MI 49085 at 2 pm on October 24th, 2025.