Jacqueline “Jackie” Parisen, 82, of Greenville, RI passed away on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, surrounded by her family and loving caregivers. She was released into the arms of her Lord after a 12-year battle with dementia.
Born in the Bronx, NYC, NY, Jackie was the daughter of the late Charles and Helen Parisen. She moved to Warwick, RI in 1962, and has been a resident of Greenville for the last 46 years. Jackie is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Monopoli of Greenville; brother, Richard Parisen and his wife, Peggy of Kennebunkport, ME; her grandchildren – Alycia Cullen and her husband, Ralph of Marietta, GA, Nicolas Tailhardat of Savannah, GA and Jessica Tailhardat of Paris, France; and her three great-grandchildren.
Jackie attended the Academy of Mount Saint Ursula High School in the Bronx, NYC, and then, graduated from Rhode Island College with a Bachelors in Elementary Education. She was a teacher in the Cranston School System for over 35 years, until her retirement in 1999. She continued as a substitute teacher for many years thereafter. She loved her students dearly and enriched their educational experience with hands-on activities, such as full-scale stage productions, annual field trips to museums and theaters, and her ever-popular pilgrimage to NYC. Her love of teaching extended outside of the traditional setting, as she taught part-time for over 15 years for the State of Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Jackie was active on the Legislative Committee of the Rhode Island Teachers Union, was an active member of the Retired Teachers’ Association, and served as secretary of the Greater Providence Retired Teachers’ Association.
When not teaching, Jackie loved traveling both locally and internationally with her family and friends. She regularly hosted international exchange students while they worked and studied, committing her free time to showing them the best of US history and the arts. She was passionate about musical theater and instilled that love in her child and grandchildren with frequent trips to Broadway, local theaters, and numerous arts performances. She was a 25+ year volunteer and usher at Trinity Rep and The Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence as well as the yearly Newport Music Festival. Locally, she volunteered for The Historical Society of Smithfield for many years. Music made her shine, even as her body and mind failed. She would dance at the sound of music anytime, anyplace, and with anyone, always bringing light and happiness to those around her.
Her funeral will be held from Anderson Winfield Funeral Home, 2 Church Street, Greenville, RI 02828 on Wednesday, January 12th at 9am followed by a 10am Mass of Christian Burial at St. Michael’s Church, 80 Farnum Pik,e, Smithfield, RI. Mass will be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/stmichaelsmithfield. Burial will be private. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 11th, from 4:00 – 7:00PM. The family asks those attending to please wear a mask.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Jacqueline Parisen to Trinity Rep’s Project Discovery using the link below:
https://tinyurl.com/2p8rwxfu
Project Discovery:
“Project Discovery has given more than 1.4 million students the chance to experience live professional theater at a discounted rate through student matinees. Through Project Discovery, we offer study guides, in-school workshops, and residencies for students, as well as professional development and preview nights for teachers.
Each season, we select an educational centerpiece show which is curriculum-tied as our Project Discovery Plus play. When a group purchases tickets to a Project Discovery performance, they receive a comprehensive written study guide PLUS up to three, free in-school workshops with their students. These workshops are led by our education and artistic staff as well as our actors and sometimes the creative team and can focus on themes, the production itself, Shakespearean language, acting and more. We also provide a video study guide to be shown in the classroom.”