Elizabeth Ellen “Betsy” Parish, journalist and author of Texas Children’s history book, Legacy: 50 Years of Loving Care, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1954-2004, died at her home on Tuesday, February 13. At 71, she left behind a legacy of her own with her passion for documenting and preserving the history of health care in Houston.
Parish is a native Houstonian, earning a college degree in Journalism from the University of Houston. She used her journalistic skills to become a newspaper columnist and public relations executive, eventually being acknowledged as “Houston’s hot media personality.”
Upon writing Legacy for our hospital, she was given the opportunity to produce historic literature for other medical institutions. She co-authored Houston Hearts: A History of Cardiovascular Surgery and Medicine and The Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, published in 2014, as well as, Reflections – Houston Methodist Hospital, published in 2016.
Most recently, she edited Tributes, a compilation of previously published articles regarding Dr. Michael DeBakey, which was published in 2017.
Texas Children’s is appreciative of her contribution to the documentation of our hospital’s story, and we will continue to remember her as her name lives on the cover and throughout our history book.
A memorial service in celebration of the life of Elizabeth Ellen Parish is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Friday, the 23rd of March, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston.
In lieu of flowers and customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to The Betsy Parish Fund, c/o The Parish School, 11001 Hammerly Blvd., Houston, TX 77043.