Margot E. Parks

Margot Elsa Rainftlen was born in Augsburg, Germany to Ludwig and Editha Rainftlen. She grew up during WWII and was once shot at by a plane while running for shelter.

After graduation, she found work at the American Army base in town working as a dental assistant. She was married to John Parks who was stationed in Augsburg at the time. They had a daughter and son, however their son died shortly after birth.

Margot came to America in February of 1957 with her husband and daughter, settling in Wann, Oklahoma with her in-laws. They then were stationed in Fort Smith, Arkansas for the rest of John’s duty. They then moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where Margot lost a daughter in 1958.

They moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma when John got a computer job with Phillips Petroleum. They had a son and in 1961, they moved to Kansas City for a job at Commerce Bank downtown.

By 1962, she was divorced with no money, no car with 2 kids in a rented house in Kansas City. She lived on coffee and stale cigarettes (as they were cheaper) so her kids could eat and go to school. She started doing ironings and babysat to make money for rent and food and utilities. We walked to the grocery store, to the doctor’s office and the dentist’s office too.

She became a citizen in 1967. She studied very hard and kids helped sometimes.

She got a job at Dobbs Elementary School as a library clerk in 1970. She bought a co-workers 1963 Plymouth for $450 making payments until it was paid for. She taught herself how to drive and at 40 years old got her first driver’s license.

She enjoyed her job and was honored several times for her performance and knowledge. She retired from Dobbs in 1994. During her career, she bought a couple of cars and her house.

She spent the intervening years traveling to Germany to visit her parents, and after her father died she looked after her mother until her mother had to be placed in a convalescent home.

Margot was diagnosed with emphysema in 1985 and managed it for 31 years, but it slowly caught up to her.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her ex-husband John, her son David and daughter Cynthia. She is survived by her daughter Darlene (Jim) Waggoner, son Lindsay, grandson and granddaughter Shaun and Christian Helm, grandson Seth Waggoner, and Lisa (Helm) Jeffries. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren Robyn and Hope, Jennifer, Shaunie, Breanna, Heidi, Alexa and Avery, and great-great granddaughters Madison and Emilia.

She loved reading, music, dancing, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck and her family. She was a remarkable woman who did much with very little. She asked questions, made mistakes, but got things done. She was funny, sarcastic, kind and loving. She will be sorely missed and deeply loved.

Margot passed away August 10, 2020.

Visitation will be 12-1PM, Tuesday, August 18 at Park Lawn, 8251 Hillcrest Rd.; inurnment in Green Lawn Cemetery.

Visitation will be 12-1PM, Tuesday, August 18 at Park Lawn, 8251 Hillcrest Rd.; inurnment in Green Lawn Cemetery.