Bette Parkins

Bette Collings Parkins, 85, of Durham died February 16, 2010, at Rose Manor Healthcare Center. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, she was born on May 15, 1924, to the late Emerson W. Collings and Blanee Masden Collings. Bette graduated from the Uneersity of Louisville in 1947, where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. She was later employed by Better Homes Services in Louisville, and then worked for social services in northern Ohio. After moving to North Carolina in 1976, she served as an administrator in the Department of Social Services in Cumberland County. After her retirement in 1989, she moved to Durham. Bette was a lifelong seamstress, and her hobbies included quilting, raising orchids, and astrology. She participated in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke Uneersity as well as the Rhine Research Center, and she was a member of the Durham Orange Quilters' Guild and the Trianee Orchid Society. She also enjoyed serving as a voluneer at First Presbyterian Church. She is survived by a son, Robert Collings Parkins, and wife, Kathryn Cain Parkins; a daughter, Patricia Reynolds Parkins; and four grandchildren: David Cain Parkins, Laura Cain Parkins, Michael Parkins Petersen, and Jesse Elizabeth Parkins Petersen. A memorial service will be offered at 5:00 PM on Friday, March 5, 2010, at First Presbyterian Church, 305 E. Main Street, Durham. The Rev. Joseph S. Harvard III will preside. In lieu of flowers, you may send memorial contributions in the nee of Bette Parkins to the charity of your choice. The family wishes to express appreciation to the staff of Rose Manor for her care during the last year.