Obituary of Roberta A. Parow

GOUVERNEUR - Roberta A. Parow, age 90, of Gouverneur, passed away on Wednesday evening, October 10, 2012 at Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown. Calling hours for Roberta will be at the family homestead at 605 Kearney Road, Gouverneur NY 13642 on Saturday, October 13th from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 p.m. Her funeral service will be on Sunday at the home at 2:00 p.m. Burial will follow in the Fairview Cemetery, Edwards. Arrangements are being handled by French Funeral Home, Gouverneur. Roberta was born on November 6, 1921 in LeRaysville to the late Robert R. and Sarah E. (Kirker) Brown. She graduated from school in Gouverneur in 1936 at the age of fifteen. She went on to the Potsdam Normal School, which later became Potsdam State College. Roberta graduated with her B.A. in teaching in 1942. She married Dennis "Denny" W. Parow on September 15, 1955 at her parents' home in Elmdale with the Rev. Merritt UpDyke officiating. The couple lived in Rossie until moving to the Kearney Road in September of 1957. Mr. and Mrs. Parow owned and operated Elm Grove dairy farm until his death on May 9, 1993. Roberta taught school in South Colton for one year, in the Laidlaw one-room school house, and in the Elmdale one-room schoolhouse. Mrs. Parow then worked on her brother, Bob's farm on the Lockie Road. Roberta loved to write letters to friends and family. She enjoyed sharing news of her loved ones with others in pen, on the phone, or through a visit. Cherishing the past, she saved news clippings and cards, and kept a diary almost every year of her life. She was a member and former secretary of the Gouverneur VFW Ladies Auxillary, was a 4-H cooking leader for the Kool Kearney Kats, a life member of the St. Lawrence County Fair, and was a former member of the Gouverneur Presbyterian Church. Her survivors include her son, Harry W. Parow of Gouverneur; daughter, Sara B. (Jeff) Platt of Gouverneur; and her nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her brother, Robert Brown and her sisters, Clara Charter and Ella Jefferson. Donations in memory of Roberta may be made to the Gouverneur VFW Ladies Auxillary or to a charity of one's choice.