Survivor Profile: Edith Parks

Edith Parks became entangled in Jim Jones in the late 1950s, when she first encountered him at a spiritual convention that he held to attract more members. Immediately, she became drawn to his message and the charisma that he conveyed it with. Soon after, she convinced her son, along with his wife and children, to join the church as well. The Parks family became very important to the church’s operation through their involvement with the planning commission and medical services, and they followed Jones to both California and Guyana.

Edith Parks remained an involved member of the temple for two decades, leaving only at the very end, on November 18th, 1978. She and her immediate family were among the fifteen defectors that attempted to leave with Leo Ryan and were witness to the deaths that occurred as a result of the airstrip ambush, during which her daughter was fatally wounded. Parks was 64 years old upon her return to the United States and remained largely outside of the public eye for the next six years. On April 1st, 1985, 70-year-old Edith Parks passed away in the town of Ukiah, California.

Sources

Three Groups in One – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple (sdsu.edu)

Serial 810 – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple (sdsu.edu)

Serial 1681-20 – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple (sdsu.edu)

Serial 1644-3 – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple (sdsu.edu)

Jonestown Survivor Dies at Age 70 | AP News

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