Patricia M. (Tricia) O’Daniel Parrish

Tricia Parrish left us shortly before midnight on Monday, May 8, 2023 at Salem Health Hospital with family members at her side.

She “did not go gently into that good night, but raged, raged against the dying of the light.” Her courage, resilience and resolve in dealing with an increasingly painful and debilitating illness will forever serve as an inspiration to those she leaves behind.

Tricia was born July 19, 1950 in the Louisville suburb of Shively, KY to William S. O’Daniel, a scheduling engineer at DuPont and later a four-term Mayor of Shively, and Regina G. O’Daniel, who became an educator and clinical psychologist. Tricia graduated from St. Helen School and Presentation Academy, and attended the University of Dayton and the University of Louisville.

In 1977 Tricia married Jimmy Parrish, a construction project manager who worked throughout the U.S. and in Turkey and Mexico, accompanying him on those engagements. In 1995 they moved from Shively to Salem for his work on the Yamasa Soy Sauce plant. Jimmy passed away in March 1997. Tricia became a payroll administrator at Norpac, working there until 2022.   

Tricia was a stylish dresser and had an irreverent sense of humor. She enjoyed cooking, listening to music, reading (especially mystery and crime novels), classic movies, basketball (she was a rabid University of Louisville fan), playing cards, betting on horse racing, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and the companionship of her personal home entertainment center, Murphy the cat.

Tricia was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and older sister Marita Byrne. Survivors include her brothers Michael (Sylvia), El Cerrito CA and Paul (Carolyn), Louisville; brother-in-law Frank Byrne, Natick MA; sister Barbara O’Daniel-Munger (Rick), Louisville; nephews Terry and Liam, nieces Sheila, Bridget, Maura Anne, Jennifer and Brenna, and grand-nieces Serafina, Kaitlyn, Kelly, Ella, Tessa, Emilia and Indigo.

She also leaves behind many friends, some from her Louisville days and many others from her 28 years  in  Salem.

The family thanks Johnson Funeral Home for its handling of Tricia’s final arrangements, and Salem Hospital’s oncology and social services palliative care practitioners for making her final journey as painless as they possibly could.

Memories of Tricia are welcome on this website or on Legacy.com. Please share this obituary with anyone you think might be interested.