Darlene Joan Zielinski Parker died Friday morning after a 25 month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Darlene was born January 22, 1943 to Geraldine and Sylvester Zielinski in Chicago. She graduated from Mercy High School in 1960, attended Western Illinois University for three years and graduated from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse with a BS in 1976 and an MS in 1981. After teaching in a La Crescent Title I program, she became a 3^rd and 4^th grade teacher in La Crescent Elementary School serving for 31 years. After marriage to James in 1962, she had and is survived by three children Karla (and Michael) Abellera of Glen Ellyn, Illinois and grandchildren Laura and Rebecca; Jill (and Tom) Colbert of La Crescent, Minnesota and grandchildren Samuel and Sarah Kratt and Kyle Colbert; and by Cheryl (and Sean) Smith of Appleton Wisconsin and granddaughter Jessica. Darlene is also survived by her brother Gary (and Lin) Zielinski of Downers Grove Illinois and was predeceased by her youngest brother, California architect Robert in 1992. She was also very close to her nieces and nephews Jenny, Katherine, Susan, Rebecca and Geoffrey, as well as two special ones who died prematurely, David and Julie, the children of Gary and Lin.

 

She had several passions, which included her grandchildren, her gardens and her devotion to social justice and unrelenting opposition to racism, sexism, homophobia and war. An early civil rights advocate from 1960, she supported activities in the District of Columbia area culminating in the Poor Peoples Campaign of 1968 and continued in her support of the early minority studies efforts at UW L in the 1970’s. An early (1965) opponent of the Vietnam War, she was active in that effort in La Crosse from 1968 until 1973. Upon the death of her brother Robert in1992, she became an advocate, supporter and contributor to Aids Project Los Angeles (APLA) and the Names Memorial Quilt Project, to which she contributed a quilt for her brother in 1995.

 

She loved the Wisconsin landscape and wildlife and spent many of her summers in Land O Lakes on Lac Vieux Desert at her grandfather’s (Duke’s), resort, and her grandfather Lewis’ farm in Dancy as a child and the cabin in Eagle River as an adult. She had a special 50 year love affair with Silver Lake and was enamored of the birds and wildlife.

She also loved the La Crosse marsh and walked daily there for the past two decades seeking out her favorite birds, especially grebes. She was an artist with her gardens designing a joyous floral display around her house and grounds. She was equally an artist as a teacher of 31 years of 3^rd grade students who she taught to respect knowledge and one another.

 

Her greatest passion and devotion was to her children and grandchildren and they reciprocated that devotion. They plan to build a memorial park bench to place beneath her favorite cottonwood in the La Crosse marshlands. However, the most significant memorial for her will be their commitment to the living application of her values of respect, non violence, civility, and the acceptance of each being without regard to categories in the daily lives of her grandchildren.

 

A memorial gathering for family, colleagues, friends and neighbors will be held at Pettibone Resort on the River, between La Crescent and La Crosse on Friday, June 25 from 1 pm until 4 pm.

 

In lieu of flowers, she hoped for support for the newly created Darlene Joan Zielinski Parker Scholarship for Social Justice for elementary education students at the UW L Foundation or Heifer International.