Vlasta Marie Parish

On December 10, 2024, Vlasta “Val” Smid Bastian Parish, 99, a loving mother, grandmother, great-

grandmother, and animal lover, died quietly at home. For those who loved her, she left this earth exactly

as we would expect — quietly, unassuming, and without wanting to bother or burden anyone.

Born on April 28, 1925, to the late Rudolph and Marie Novotny Smid in Chicago, Illinois, she was daddy’s

girl and loved being a tomboy to share adventures with her beloved father. Three children were born to

her and her ex-husband, Carl Joseph Bastian, Sr. (deceased): Claudia Marie Phillips (Frederick) of North

Carolina, Carl Joseph Bastian, Jr. of Celina, Tennessee, and Judith Lynn Messenger (Wayne) of

Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Val could transform ten cents into a dollar like no one else. She rolled up her shirt sleeves, buckled down

and worked hard, doing everything in her power to provide for her children. Throughout the years, she

was employed by Illinois Bell Telephone, Datafold Forms, and later became a baker for Jewel Foods and

made wedding cakes at home for people. She also worked other secondary jobs to provide for her family.

Her cherished husband, Thomas Parish, preceded her in death. He transported her from the frigid Illinois

climate to her lovely home in the hills near Celina, Tennessee, where she embraced the charming small

town community and rescued innumerable animals throughout the years. She volunteered at the

Livingston Hospital for many years, greeting people and steering them in the right direction and helping

others in the gift shop. Val “retired” from there when she turned 90 years old. She loved the people of

Celina and took great satisfaction in volunteering at the Celina United Methodist Church Grace Free Meal

Tuesday. She would make hundreds of sandwiches to help those in need.

Claudia, Carl, and Judy, Val's three children, survive her. She will be greatly missed by her grandchildren,

Jason (Janelle) Bastian, Shari (Jake) Parsons, Wayne (Katie) Messenger, Kurt (Bre) Messenger, Reid

Phillips, Spencer Phillips, and Griffin Phillips, five great-grandchildren, her niece and nephews and many

friends, as well as her stepchildren, Thomas (Jan) Parish Jr., Bob (Anika) Parish, Linda Bolyard, and Bill

(Theresa) Parish (deceased), and six step grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on April 28, 2025, which would have been her 100 th birthday. In

lieu of flowers, nothing would please Val more than your donation to the Humane Society of the United

States or your local Humane Society Spay/Neuter Clinic.