Mary Lee (Recupero) Parsons, aka Sis and Mimi, age 71, of Wadsworth, passed away comfortably and surrounded by family and friends at Akron City Hospital on Friday, November 4, 2016 after a brief battle with lung cancer.

Mimi was the strongest, smartest, most loving, and fiercely loyal person to not only her family and friends but to all those with whom she came in contact.

She was born in Akron, Ohio on July 7, 1945 to the late Joseph Recupero and step-mother, Mildred M. Recupero. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, James H. Parsons, Jr., daughter Tangee (Dave), brothers Anthony (Elayne) and Mike (Katie), sister-in-law Carole (Ken), grandson Josh, nieces and newphews Sarah (April), Diane (Rich), Kassie, Mikey, Joey, Gianni, and Maria and many more cousins and extended family members.

Sis received her bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in Secondary Education and taught at Akron South and Rittman High Schools. She moved to California to marry her soon-to-be husband and decided to challenge herself by trying a different career path. She went into the healthcare field by serving as a Medical Staff Coordinator at Los Alamitos General Hospital. After moving back to Ohio to be closer to family and friends, she accepted a position at Marymount Hospital as Director of Marketing for 25 years. While at Marymount Hospital, she served as Secretary for the Garfield Heights Chamber of Commerce. She received many accolades that include the Gold Award for Marketing Advertising Campaign in 1992 from the Ohio Hospital Association. After retiring from Marymount, she shared her love of learning with her grandson, Josh, and a few of his friends (Alex, Madeline, and Camden) by offering “Mimi School” every summer during their elementary and middle school years. She also provided assistance to many family and friends on projects throughout the years.

She was an avid reader – teaching her grandson her love of books. She would read 2-3 books a week even before she retired. She always had time to visit with family and friends – enjoying their group trips to the Caribbean and the Outer Banks.

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, November 9, 2016 from 4 – 7 pm at Hilliard-Rospert Funeral Home, 174 North Lyman Street, Wadsworth, Ohio. Service will be held immediately after calling hours at 7 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations collected will go to the Mimi School Book Drive project.