Kirsten Parker, 49

Kirsten Margaret “Birdie” Parker, 49, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, in her Boise home after a three-year courageous battle with breast cancer.

Kirsten was born in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 21, 1969, to Robert “Bob” and Catherine “Trink” Melgard. In 1974, her family moved to Spokane, Wash., where she lived until she graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and started college at the University of Idaho. At U of I, Kirsten followed the family tradition of her grandmother, mother, aunt and cousin and joined the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Kirsten graduated from U of I in 1993, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Kirsten met her husband David in August 1995 on a blind date. They instantly connected, and after a year-long long distance relationship that included daily phone calls and countless trips to visit each other, Kirsten moved to Boise. She and and David were married in Spokane on Aug. 2, 1997.

The Parkers made their home in Boise, where Kirsten worked for Hewlett Packard until deciding to focus her full attention on their son Jack Robert Parker. Jack was born on Dec. 18, 2001, and became the light of Kirsten and Dave’s life. When Jack was 3, he suffered a massive stroke during a planned medical procedure to repair a heart defect. Kirsten never left Jack’s side during his recovery in Portland, Ore., and rarely thereafter. Kirsten was Jack’s advocate, cheerleader, friend, care coordinator and more. She navigated Jack through his 12 years of school and attended all of his multiple therapy appointments up until she could not physically do so anymore. However, Kirsten was able to see Jack graduate from high school on Oct. 18, 2019, at Timberline High School made possible by the kind staff.

Kirsten enjoyed gardening, cooking (especially baking), hiking, running, water skiing, reading, swimming and taking long walks with David. Growing up, Kirsten’s family had a cabin on Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho, where she spent all of her summers. Kirsten continued to look forward to and cherish her time in Sandpoint with her and David’s families, where she was fortunate enough to spend time as recently as August. Kirsten met her husband David in Sandpoint and instilled her love of the lake in Jack.

Kirsten’s smile lit up a room and made everyone’s day brighter. She loved life, her family, her Doodle and her friends. She connected with so many people in her daily life because she was open and truly interested in others. Many lives are richer because of Kirsten’s presence on earth. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Kirsten is survived by her husband David and son Jack of Boise; mother Trink and brother Andrew “Andy” Melgard of Spokane; brother Robert “Bob” Melgard of Boise; parents-in-law Jack and Shirley Parker; sisters-in-law Jackie Windju and Anne Marie Casey of Sandpoint; and brother-in-law Greg Parker of Annandale, Va. Kirsten is also survived by her aunt Elizabeth “Bee” Christy and her uncle Richard “Dick” Curtis. Aunt Birdie will also be fondly remembered by her many nieces and nephews, as well as cousins. She was preceded in death by her father, Robert “Bob” Melgard.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Boise, with a reception to follow at Hillcrest Country Club. The family requests those attending wear colorful clothing to honor Kirsten, as she loved happy colors. She will be laid to rest at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Sandpoint at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Make-a-Wish Foundation in memory of Kirsten, at 310 W. Idaho St., Boise, ID 83702.