Elaine Parker Credit: Courtesy Elaine Parker, 71, died at home after a two-year battle with lung cancer. She was born in East Tennessee to June Linkous Parker and Russell Parker. Her childhood was spent surrounded by a large, loving, extended family. She left Tennessee on a path of self-discover y that led her to New York City, where she earned a degree in sculpture from Pratt Institute and started an all-women carpentry company, giving employment to women in recovery. She moved to Vermont in 1989 and built her own home, doing most of the work herself. Shortly afterward, she met the love of her life, Meg Davis. They shared 35 years of love, joy and adventurous travel, covering all 50 states and parts of six continents, mostly by bicycle. In her first of three trips to Antarctica, Elaine secured a job as fire alarm technician, for which she was completely unqualified, saying what would become her trademark response, “How hard can it be?” Meg joined her there for a second summer season and a subsequent full year on the Ice. They fit in many adventures: exploring deep crevasses, hanging out with Adélie and emperor penguins, and a 28-degree polar plunge. After returning home, she found what became her favorite job: leading bicycle tours. Her boss later described her as the best, most empathetic, energetic, reliable and joyous of tour leaders. Over 14 years, she led tours in Vermont, Hawaii, Texas, Arizona, Québec, North Carolina, Maine and Ireland. She continued to create art, sculptures and drawings that grew from her own experiences and love of nature. She approached the sports that she loved passionately: Bicycling, cross-country skiing, paddling, hiking and snowshoeing were all pursued with great fervor. After Meg taught her swing dancing, they were frequently seen on the dance floor. Starting in 2012, Elaine suffered from multiple injuries, each one followed by her determination to recover as quickly as possible, her spirit never flagging. One time she tied her cast-covered broken ankle to a bike pedal to be able to continue riding. When she lost her sense of balance post-surgery, she bought an electric-assist tandem bicycle on which she and Meg could continue to ride. Once she knew that there was no further treatment for the cancer, she insisted on one last adventure and spent two weeks in Iceland, returning two weeks before she died. Her friends and family remember her as “creative, courageous, curious, committed, kind, and crazy; engaging, enthusiastic, energetic, empathetic, exuberant, and exceptional; loving, loyal, and lesbian royalty; magnetic and magnificent; remarkable, reliable, and relentless; special, stubborn, strong, smart, silly, and sober; wild, warm, and wise; amazing, adventurous, and athletic; fun, funny, joyful, and generous; vibrant and vulnerable; intense and inspiring; passionate, honest, dedicated, fierce and full of life.” We will never forget her. The post Obituary: Elaine Parker, 1955-2026 appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less