Ruth Eloise (Knight) Parkinson was born October 28, 1924, on a farm outside Milan, Mo., the youngest of the eight children of Herbert and Edna Knight. She died in her sleep on April 5, 2013, in her home in Durango, Colo. She married Philip Fulton Parkinson, II, a native of Durango, on January 22, 1948, in Kansas City, Mo., where he was attending dental school. They returned to Durango in 1950, where Dr. Parkinson practiced dentistry until his death in 1979. Ruth is survived by her children, Philip F. Parkinson, III, and his wife, Linda, of Rio Rancho, N.M., Paul Parkinson, and his wife, Amy, of Macon, Mo., and Jean Jones, of Fairplay, Colo. Also surviving are Philip's children, Glen Philip Parkinson, his wife, Allie, and their son, Jackson, of Aztec, N.M., Laura Parkinson of Los Angeles, Calif.; Paul's children, Calista Ruth Martin, her husband, Jeremy, and their daughter, Lucy, of Merriam, Kan., Karen Parkinson of Madison, Wis.; and Jean's children, Adam Jones, and his wife, Catherine Pilafas Jones, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Therese Jones of Pullman, Wash. She was preceded in death by her husband, a baby boy, and her seven siblings. Long an active participant in the Durango community, Ruth was a member of St. Columba Catholic church, PEO, Chapter BR, and a charter member of the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary. A mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Columba Church on Saturday, April 13, 2013, at 11 a.m. with a reception to follow in the Church community center.