Marissa Parco

August 8, 1994 - December 6, 2015

Kristina Marissa Castro Parco, age 21, passed into the loving arms of her Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ on Sunday, December 6, 2015, while in the presence of her parents and two brothers, at the Utah Valley regional hospital in Provo, Utah. She was called home to fulfill a mission for God on the other side of the veil. After ten treatments of cancer chemotherapy, Marissa defeated Hodgkin's lymphoma that was diagnosed in early 2015, but she succumbed to bleomycin toxicity. She was a beautiful, valiant daughter of God, and was a true "angel" here on earth. She was preceded in death by her two grandmothers, Alicia Parco and Elpidia Castro, who now enjoy her company in heaven. Born on August 8, 1994, in Arlington, Texas, she was the daughter of Farol and Mylene C. Parco of Fort Worth, Texas, and the granddaughter of Salvador A. Parco of Erie, Pennsylvania. Marissa is also survived by her two older brothers, Aaron and Joshua, her grandfather's present wife Lin Parco, and numerous aunts and uncles: Chat and Richard; Alma and James; Yolanda and Jessie; Laura and Jan; Maria and Mark; Cindy and Sal; Mischa and Will. Marissa is also survived by more than 26 cousins and 13 grandcousins who will miss her very much. Marissa graduated (with honors, in the top 10%) from Boswell High School in Saginaw, Texas, and was a junior at Brigham Young University, majoring in (business) information systems. In 2014, she was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and was recognized for her high moral standards and exceptional academic and scholastic achievement. She was admired by her classmates as "always positive, uplifting, and radiating with light, goodness, and a love of Jesus Christ." One of her professors at BYU was impressed by her "generosity as a person, and as a truly intelligent and skilled learner." An accomplished musician at her age, she professionally played the piano, organ, flute, and piccolo (recipient of the Patrick Gilmore, TMEA Texas Music Scholar, and All-State awards). Marissa loved reading books (Austen, Tolkien, Rowling, Grisham, Cleary, and Albom, among others) and writings by LDS leaders. She liked cooking, journal writing, arts and crafts, and watching movies--her favorite "chick flicks" were Pride and Prejudice and You've Got Mail, but she thoroughly enjoyed Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Inside Out, and Star Wars movies (particularly, the musical scores). Inclusively, she relished occasional discussions about taxes, economics, and the stock market. Aloha 'oe, until we meet again. "Till we meet at Jesus' feet." Funeral Services for Marissa will be held Friday, December 11th, at 11:00 am, at the LDS Chapel, 1090 North 400 East, Orem, Utah. Grave Dedication and Interment to follow in Timpanogos Memorial Gardens, 1000 North 400 East, Orem, Utah. Memorial Service for Marissa will be held Tuesday, December 22nd, at 11:00 am, at Church of Jesus Christ (LDS), 7600 N. Beach Street, Fort Worth, Texas. Funeral Directors: Utah Valley Mortuary.