With heavy hearts and deep love, our family shares the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and respected elder, Verdena Leona Chase Parker, born Verdena Leona Chase Shoemaker, a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. She proudly lived to be 90 years old.

Verdena was a cherished part of her community and a deeply respected speaker of the Hupa Language. She carried with her the words, teachings, and traditions of her people, holding them close and sharing them so they would never be lost. Through her voice, patience, and dedication, she helped keep the  Hupa Language alive for the generations that will follow.

As one of the oldest languages in the world, Hupa holds the history, identity, and spirit of a people. Verdena recognized the importance of protecting that gift, and her lifelong journey to help preserve the language became one of the greatest callings of her life. She always had great fun joking and telling stories in the language with her mother. After her mother passed she realized she didn’t have anyone left to speak to regularly and from then on, she focused her attention on ensuring she shared everything that she knew.

Her knowledge and fluency drew the attention of scholars and universities seeking to learn from one of the few remaining traditional speakers. Verdena worked closely with linguists at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Davis, and the University of Arkansas, sharing her voice, knowledge, and teachings to help document and preserve the language for all who wanted to learn and carry it on. Many linguists she worked with were often overcome with emotion and deeply moved when they heard her fluency as a native speaker. Brought to tears by the beauty and power of hearing the language spoken as it was meant to be, Verdena’s voice brought the language to life in a way books never could.

For many years, Verdena devoted herself to the preservation of the language. In addition, to many linguists, she worked alongside Silisc’hi’tawn Jackson and other language teachers, sharing knowledge, stories, and teachings so that the language of her ancestors would continue to be heard and spoken. She worked as an expert elder speaker on various tribal language projects over time travelling to Hoopa as often as she was able. Her work was not simply a duty—it was a gift she gave to her people and to the future.

One of her dreams was for Na:tinixwe children to speak the language again just as she had when she was a child. She was able to see this dream come true through her work with her niece Sara Chase Merrick as they made curriculum and developed immersion programming together for Hoopa youth, based on traditional stories and teachings. Verdena became a co-founder of the Hupa Language Immersion Nest and founding member of the Xine:wh-ding non-profit organization, a place in which all of her teachings could live and be shared with the next generation of Hupa speakers. The Nest, located near her home village territory of Diysh da:ng a din became part of her legacy to have a place to pass on what she fought so hard to maintain.

The strength, wisdom, humor, and deep love she carried throughout her life were rooted in the teachings of those who raised her. She was brought up by her grandmother, Ann (Annie) Randall, and her uncle, Saul Shoemaker, whose guidance shaped the woman she became. Through their teachings she grew into someone whose presence touched many lives in our community.

Hupa was Verdena’s first language. When she first entered school, she did not answer when asked her name because she did not yet speak English. Her cousin spoke up and said her name was Verdena Bristol, and from that moment the name Bristol became part of her story. But to those closest to her, she was lovingly known by her Indian name, (Bear Nose) xonchwiw satz. She came from the village Dilxich mininğ ta:ng à ding (Tish Tang), a place that remained deeply tied to her identity throughout her life. She was chosen to become a lady warrior as a young girl to represent her village and trained with elders for many years.

From a young age, Verdena was known for her strong work ethic and independence. In her youth she raised and sold chickens and even gave haircuts and perms. She attended school in Hoopa and later worked in a brush plant and sold Studio Girl cosmetics. In 1970 she moved to Winston, Oregon with her husband and four children, where she continued to help support her family in many creative and resourceful ways.

Verdena contributed to her family by selling Avon, Watkins, and Fuller Brush products. She was also a talented seamstress who did upholstery work, made and sold jewelry, and found seasonal work picking walnuts, hazelnuts, and prunes. She had a gift for working with her hands and could create beauty from nearly anything.

She was a woman of many talents and passions. Verdena loved sewing, upholstery, gardening, and all forms of needlework—embroidering, knitting, crocheting, and beadwork. She also enjoyed carpentry and working with tooled leather. She was musically inclined, playing the piano and, during her school years, the saxophone. She was a gifted artist who loved to draw and often created beautiful artwork on Port Orford cedar, including detailed wood-burned pieces.

Some of her happiest moments were spent outdoors. She loved being in the woods—hunting, camping, cutting firewood, and gathering the gifts of the land such as acorns, huckleberries, tea, and mushrooms. Many of these traditions she shared with her mother, creating memories that stayed with her throughout her life.

Verdena also carried a spirited side. She enjoyed riding motorcycles and loved driving fast cars, embracing life with both strength and a sense of adventure.

Verdena was preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Jacqueline Helen Marshall, by her parents, Leon Chase and Eleatha Mable Shoemaker, and her sister Gwen Chase VanPelt who she loved dearly.

She leaves behind a family who will carry her memory, teachings, and love forward. She is survived by her devoted husband, Otis Parker, her brother Emmett Chase, and her children:

Debra Ann Marshall

Rebecca Fields

Otis Parker Jr.

Candece Osborn

Robinson Parker

She is also survived by many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, students, relatives, and members of the community who loved her, respected her, and were blessed by her presence. She will especially be missed by her students, Sara Merrick, Erika Tracy, Melissa Lovey Sanchez, Jenna Hailey, Mistche’nanya Vanpelt and Viola Marshall, who serve as Aunties in the Immersion Nest and became her loving family.

Though her voice is now quiet, the words she carried, the stories she shared, and the teachings she passed on will continue to live on—in her family, in her community, and in the language she worked so hard to protect.

With love, respect, and gratitude,

The Family of Verdena Leona Chase Parker

Memorial Services was held on Saturday March 21, 2026 at 3PM at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 400 Safari Road Winston, OR 97496.