Dr. Clare Lord-Parker

Dr. Clare Lord-Parker died on Thursday, November 4, 2022, after an extended illness. Dr. Lord-Parker was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 26,1947 to Samuel Leibman and Pauline Macaluso. Clare grew up with a strong sense of independence and justice. Her household was that of a strong catholic faith and always went to catholic schools. Back then, the nuns were incredibly strict teachers and adults, although misguided in some ways. She always spoke of nuns trying to convert her left-handedness and when she was caught writing with it, whacked on the knuckles. That type of corporal punishment was perhaps a product of their time, but they did always make sure the children understood the significance of their faith. She carried this faith into her life wherever she went, no matter the struggles she encountered and the injustices she saw. Whenever she felt something was wrong, she stood for her right to fight against it. She was always fighting for others; even marching on Washington at 16 years of age, the largest peaceful demonstration in support of human rights in United states history and an amazing display of unity amongst 190,000 black people and 60,000 white people. She never fell to pressure, especially to the corrupt, always looking to God and her intuition for guidance. Following her graduation out of high school, she studied hard for college and finished undergrad at Long Island. She married and welcomed into the world her son Robert, later having her mother and stepfather move the family out to California. While there, she suffered the heavy loss of her brother Richard. She decided to stay in California, continuing her studies and at some point during this time divorced her first husband. She became a part of a small group of Franciscan nuns near the Redhills and continued to help others, even founding a large broken down home for battered women and children. She was able to take care of the repairs, cleaning, and upkeep of 50-60 rooms, with the help of her sisters and kind volunteers. At 5 ft tall, she was a powerhouse of a woman- standing up against any abusers that tried to come back for the victims. With the help of a baseball bat, her incredible capacity to be fierce when needed, and local police, she was able to provide over 20,000 abused victims a place to stay and receive therapy. The home stayed open for eight years before she resigned as director, from pressure on her to conform to certain men in local diocese. Though she resigned, she never stopped volunteering for those victims. She continued to help them, even pursuing a PhD in psychology to better understand the abused and how to help them. Even some of the abusers, she had sometimes helped evaluate for the police and try to understand their actions leading up to that point. She was an amazing woman indeed, for she then went into private practice, and at the same time started to foster children, especially the neglected and abused. That was when she encountered her daughter Chrissy, and fell in love. So much so that she decided to adopt her and start up a business aimed at providing education and therapy for children around preschool age. The love she had overflowed, for she met the love of her life, Robert Parker, and remarried around the same time she adopted her daughter. Another foster child came into the picture, and though the intention was to adopt her as well, it was not meant to be. Clare continued to work in private practice, until circumstances beyond the family’s control led them to sell most of everything and move from Los Angeles to Columbia, South Carolina. She continued to talk to clients over the phone, sent her daughter through schools and undergrad, until her husband became diagnosed with stage four Liver Cancer in 2017. She retired, and though she had many experiences after his passing, her health began to fail. Survivors include her daughter, Christiana Parker and her Husband George Perez; her son Robert Ziminsky and his wife Andrea; two grandsons, Mark and Matthew Ziminsky; her cousin Lillian Diaz and her husband Victor Diaz; and her brother, David Leibman. She is predeceased by her husband Robert Ellis Parker by 5 years, married in 1997; and her younger brother, Richard Lord (18), who passed in 1971. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, November 9th at Shives Funeral Home, 7600 Trenholm Rd Chapel, Columbia, SC, 29223 from 5 to 7pm. A memorial service for Dr. Lord-Parker will be held on Thursday November 10th at 10 o'clock in the morning at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 100 Polo Road, Columbia, SC 29223. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to one of three charities Dr. Lord-Parker was fond of: Doctors without Borders, Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV), and the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA).

Tributes

Dr. Clare Lord-Parker

August 26, 1947 - November 3, 2022