Phyllis Jean Parisi

Phyllis Jean (Markett) Parisi, 90, of Manassas, VA, passed away on May 28th, 2026. She was loving, kind, profoundly compassionate, endlessly hilarious, and the pillar of her family.

She is survived by her children Jean Smathers, James (Denice) Parisi, Thomas (Robin) Parisi, and Amy Smetanick Brown, whom she loved as a daughter; grandchildren Tracy and Justin Smathers, Jimmy and Jeremy Parisi, Tyler Parisi, and Aidan Brown; great-grandchildren Jimmy, Delilah, and Sophia Parisi and Reagan, Kinley, and Aubrey Parisi; two siblings, Philip Markett and Maureen (Sandy) Hunter; numerous nieces and nephews; and a myriad of other relatives and friends. She was predeceased by her parents Philip and Margaret Markett, her husband James, her sister-in-law Carolyn, and her son-in-law Tony.

Phyllis was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 9th, 1935 to Philip and Margaret Markett. She moved to D.C. with her family when she was a child. She met her husband James on a blind date in 1953 and they were married in 1955. Phyllis and her husband Jim moved to Maryland where they raised a family. She retired as a Contract Specialist from the Environmental Protection Agency in 1986 after 25 years in order to take care of her mother in Florida. In 1989 she moved back to Maryland and she and James became snowbirds, spending their winters in Florida. After her husband passed in 2017, Phyllis moved in with her son Tommy in Maryland for a few years before eventually moving in with her daughter Jean in Virginia, where she spent the rest of her life.

Phyllis was a social butterfly who enjoyed hosting tea parties, being a part of the Red Hat Club, and she especially loved hosting Christmas Eve dinner for her family and friends every year. She also loved crafts and making things for her loved ones - she made Easter baskets and Christmas stockings for her grandchildren, sewed dolls and bears, and crocheted and sewed numerous doll clothes, scarves, blankets, and baby outfits. She even won first prize for some of her handmade dolls at the county fair. Phyllis loved shopping, enjoyed shoes and purses, and really loved getting a good deal. She also loved to travel and she and her husband took many trips with their good friends Mary and Millard Walter.

A devout Catholic, Phyllis was devoted to her faith and attended Mass religiously, both in person and virtually throughout her life. She was exceptionally dedicated to supporting many charities, her church, and specifically the nuns at Mount Carmel Monastery.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 4th, 2026 from 10-11am at Mount Carmel Monastery (5678 Mount Carmel Road, La Plata, MD) where a funeral service will start at 11am. Interment to follow in Resurrection Cemetery (8000 Woodyard Road, Clinton, MD).

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Mount Carmel Monastery (5678 Mount Carmel Road, La Plata, MD 20646) in Phyllis’ memory. Online condolences to the family can be made at arehartechols.com.

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