Juanita “Nita” Lois Parker Hughes

Juanita “Nita” Lois Parker Hughes, 76, of Morganton, N.C., passed away peacefully Thursday, Dec. 24, at Trinity Village in Hickory, N.C., after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease and related complications. She was deeply loved by her family and by the many lives she touched.

Born on Jan. 12, 1944, in Marion, N.C., Nita was the daughter of the late Alvin Ford Parker and Lena Jackson Parker and was the only daughter among five brothers. A 1962 graduate of Marion High School, Nita received a bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina University and a master’s in education from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro.

Shortly after finishing college, Nita met and married the love of her life, James “Jim” Hughes, and she was a mother to two stepsons, Rick and Mike. A fan of the beach and warm weather, she, Jim and the boys made the Melbourne, Fla. – area their home and enjoyed years of happy memories there with dear friends.

A lifelong educator in the public school system, Nita taught middle school home economics (now commonly referred to as family and consumer sciences) and math for 31 years in Florida, first retiring in 1997. Although she was not particularly fond of the snow (or traveling in it), she and Jim moved back to North Carolina and settled in Morganton, where she taught another 10 years before retiring again in 2007. 

With a passion for international travel, Nita took more than 40 trips abroad – primarily to Europe and Australia. She was part of a special teachers’ group in Florida that hosted international educational travel for middle and high school students, along with their counselors and family members.

Nita had an appreciation for the performing arts and was an avid supporter of CoMMA in Morganton. Due to an early training and an interest in home economics, she thoroughly enjoyed cooking and was an excellent seamstress. Nita cherished her family, friends and neighbors dearly.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim; stepson, Rick; her parents Alvin and Lena; and three brothers: Eugene Raye Parker, Harold Dean Parker and Melvin Lawrence Parker. 

Nita is survived by her stepson, Mike Hughes of Mohawk, Tenn.; two brothers, Floyd (Carolyn) Parker of Old Fort, N.C., and James (Virginia) Parker of Charlotte N.C.; and sister-in-law, Cindy Robinson Parker of Sylva, N.C., along with many nieces and nephews. 

The family is especially grateful for the kind and caring staffs of both Brookdale-Falling Creek and Trinity Village in Hickory. 

A memorial service to celebrate Nita’s life will be scheduled at a later date due to COVID-19 restrictions. Her cremains will be placed in the Columbarium at North Morganton United Methodist Church. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church – Morganton, 502 W. Union Street, Morganton, N.C., 28655 or to North Morganton UMC, 990 Sanford Drive, Morganton, N.C., 28655. 

Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is caring for the family’s needs.