Educator, historian.
Born at Hartney on 13 September 1898, daughter of Alexander McDonald and Eleanor Hopkins, she was educated at Hartney School, Brandon Normal School, and Wesley College (BA, 1923). She taught at Swan Lake School (1923-1924) and Roland School (1924-1927).
On 17 December 1927, she married Osborne Blake Parkinson (1897-1970) at Hartney and they subsequently had three daughters. They resided at Roland until 1951 when she moved to Winnipeg. Active in the community, she served as President of the Roland Women’s Institute, a member of the Roland School Board, and a board member for the Children’s Aid Society of Central Manitoba. She spoke frequently on topics in education and history, and in 1957 wrote a history of the Rural Municipality of Cameron entitled The Mere Living. She was a member of the Manitoba Historical Society, Canadian Authors Association, University Women’s Club of Winnipeg, and St. Andrew’s United Church.
She died at the St. Boniface Hospital on 23 June 1981 and was buried in the Fairview Cemetery.
Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Annual Reports of the Manitoba Department of Education, Manitoba Legislative Library.
The Mere Living: A Biography of the Hartney District by Hazel McDonald Parkinson, 1957, Manitoba Legislative Library, F5649.H37 Par.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 27 June 1981, page 46.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 1 August 2023
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