Joberta Parker, 100 years, a resident of Ravenna, Ohio, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at Anna Maria of Aurora. Born on April 4, 1924, in Cocoa, Florida, “Jo” was the daughter of the late Cortlandt F. and Clara (Tyner) Flake. She attended school in Titusville, Florida, and was a 1942 graduate of Titusville High School.
Her father, Cortlandt “Frank” Flake, owned various citrus groves in the Mims/Titusville area of Florida. In 1929, he was also hired as General Manager of the Mims Citrus Growers Exchange packing plant in Mims, until his death in 1953. Since Jo took great pride in her father’s accomplishments in the citrus business, this became a frequent subject of many discussions in later years.
On July 25, 1943, she married Cleland E. Rose in Titusville, Florida. Together, Jo and her husband remained in Florida after the war, residing on her father’s “south grove” where they tended the orange and grapefruit trees while residing in a small cabin on the property. In the late 1940’s, Jo and Cleland moved to East Lansing, Michigan, so that Cleland could attend Michigan State University and earn his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree while on the G.I. bill. During those years, Jo worked as a bookkeeper at a tire and auto dealership in order to help pay the bills.
In 1954, they moved to Owosso, Michigan, to begin working with the veterinary practice of Dr. & Mrs. Jack DeVries. Then, in 1956, Jo and Cleland moved to Mount Clemens, Michigan, where they eventually purchased the Mt. Clemens Veterinary Hospital, beginning a long and successful practice in the area.
Two daughters were born to them while living in Mt. Clemens. The family later moved to Shelby Township, near Rochester, Michigan, while continuing their veterinary practice in Mt. Clemens. Throughout this time, Jo served as bookkeeper for her husband’s business.
Jo later attended and received her Bachelor of Arts degree (in Christian Education) from Michigan Christian College (now Rochester Christian University) in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Her family is very proud of the fact that she not only earned her degree while in her late fifties, but was also selected as Salutatorian of her graduating class in 1982.
Jo and her family were members of the First Baptist Church of Mount Clemens for many years, where she served on various boards and also as a Sunday School teacher.
After her husband’s death in 1983, Jo later moved back to Owosso, Michigan, where she remained for many years, until her marriage to Roy Parker on February 27, 1998, in Ludington, Michigan. After Roy passed away in 2001, Jo remained in Ludington until 2009, at which time she moved to Garrettsville, Ohio, to be near her family.
Jo was a great cook all the way up into her mid-90’s, not to mention the fact that she was a “card shark” cribbage player against whoever would challenge her. She also enjoyed birdwatching and spending time in Canada.
In addition to her parents and both husbands, she was preceded in death by her brother, John Cortlandt Flake of Titusville, Florida, and her sister, Phyllis Flake Hughes of Orlando, Florida.
She is survived by 2 daughters: Frances (Peter) King, of Ravenna, Ohio, and Teresa (Charles) Babb, of Fredonia, Kansas, 7 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews
Her ashes will be interred in the family plot at the historic LaGrange Cemetery, in Mims, Florida. A graveside service is being planned for the summer of 2025. Care for Jo was entrusted to Mallory-DeHaven-Carlson Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, 8382 Center St., Garrettsville, OH 44231. For online condolences go to www.carlsonfuneralhomes.com.
