On Sunday, April 26, 2020, Parphinia Hannon Ford, a longtime resident of Winston-Salem, died peacefully in Los Angeles after contracting COVID-19. The beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, grandmother, great- and great-great grandmother was 94.

Born in the hamlet of Lynn, near the western North Carolina town of Tryon, she was the eldest daughter and one of 12 children of Claude and Wearrie Hannon. Her parents named her Isabel. However, adoring aunts began calling her Parphinia from an early age, and she adopted the name; though, to siblings, nieces and nephews she was fondly known as "Sister" and "Aunt Sister."

After graduating from high school, she moved to Winston-Salem to study at Winston-Salem Teacher's College. Teacher's College was the precursor of Winston-Salem State University and the first black teacher's institution in the nation to grant degrees for teaching in the elementary grades.  She earned her degree in 1946 and started teaching at the Mebane School, which, at the time, was a segregated school for "colored" children. Friendships formed during her tenure at the Mebane School lasted a lifetime, especially among women with whom she regularly met to play the card game Pinochle.

In 1947, she married James Franklin Ford, a World War II veteran and fellow alumnus of Teacher's College. Together, they raised four children—two daughters and two sons.

Sister gave up her teaching career to become her husband's business partner. Known to most people as "Bro" Ford, he worked in sales for Biltmore Dairy, which back then had a plant on Stratford Road. However, in 1955, Bro became an independent distributor. When Biltmore closed its Stratford plant, he became an independent distributor for Pet milk products.

Bro and Sister ran the business for four decades, ensuring front-door delivery of dairy products to thousands of homes, day cares, schools and institutions, primarily in East Winston before the end of legalized segregation and later to other areas of the city, including Buena Vista, as well as King, Mocksville and Kernersville. Bro became known to generations of Winston-Salem residents as " The Milkman. "

The poor, elderly and welfare recipients benefited most from the door-to-door home service, because the Fords allowed them to pay on contract, which customers could not do at grocery stores.  The Fords shared a belief in service to community; they saw it as their civic and Christian duty to help the poor. Sister, in particular, had a servant's heart. She looked down on no one, kept no record of wrongs, and accepted people for who and what they were, regardless of circumstance.

In 1956, the Fords were among 20 people who founded the Dellabrook Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem. She remained committed to the church and its mission, particularly under the leadership of the late Rev. Dr. Carlton Eversley, who led Dellabrook for 35 years. She belonged to Dellabrook's choir and held various officer positions in the church.

Sister also forged many deep and lasting friendships with women in her church, several of whom belonged to the Quilting Group of Grace Presbyterian Church. From 1999 to 2016, she stitched numerous collaborative quilts recognized by local and state quilting groups. One of her quilting projects involved collecting the signatures of her siblings to sew into panels. She was also active in Meals on Wheels and the YMCA's Silver Sneakers.

Above all, Sister was devoted to family. An accomplished seamstress, she sewed Christmas and Easter dresses for her daughters and summer frocks. Her home was the go-to, after-school location for nieces and nephews guaranteed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a slice of fresh baked Seven-Up, Red Velvet, or pound cake with a dollop of Pet ice cream. She also took in family members who needed a temporary place to live and friends of family members.

Through the years, Sister also opened her home to countless cats, some strays, and dogs, including ones considered vicious by everyone except her; you might say she was a dog whisperer in her own right. At one point, she and her husband had a full-grown horse grazing on their property—a birthday gift to their eldest son.

Parphinia Hannon Ford spent the last four years of her life in California. She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, James Franklin Ford, who passed away in 2003. She will continue to live in the hearts, minds, and memories of her four children, Margaret Anne "Bunny" Ford and James Franklin Ford, Jr. (Gloria), both of Winston-Salem, Pamela Ford Terry of Los Angeles, and Eric Hannon Ford of Anaheim, California; two siblings, Barbara Hannon Griffin of Winston-Salem and Spurgeon Hannon of Mojave, California; eight grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and five great-great grandchildren; dozens of nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.

All whom loved her dearly will not forget her grace, charm, compassion, and generosity.

The family will hold a memorial service to recognize her life and contributions at a date to be decided.