About Lara Parker

In the last few years of her life, Lara and her husband of over 40 years, Jim Hawkins had built their home at the top of the Topanga CA mountain range surrounded by the beauty of nature Lara so enjoyed. A special place to enjoy her family and friends, her rose garden and sailing on their sailboat off the coast of Santa Monica. 

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Sadly, following a battle with cancer, Lara left our world peacefully in her sleep on October 12, 2023. She leaves behind her loving husband, Jim, her two sons, Rick Parker, his wife Miranda Lee Richards, Andy Parker, his wife Cecila, a daughter, Caiti, her grandson, Wesley, an Austrailian Shepherd named Pearl and thousands of heartbroken familly, friends and fans.   

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Up until a few weeks before she left our world, Lara was active. She traveled, visited family and even recorded the audio version of her book, "Heiress of Collinwood" and filmed a small part in a movie, called "The Great Nick D". Back in July of 2023 my family visited her; still beautiful she continued to possess the shiny blonde hair we always admired and her large blue eyes of which we were all mesmerized. Her mind was still very sharp as she recited poetry from memory to us at a lunch at her home. Lara had a life well lived and for that, we are eternally grateful. We'll miss her always. (K.Kniker) 

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THE PAGE: We began the journey of this website to honor her, her career and what she has meant to so many of us before it was known she was ill. We had hoped she would have seen this website, but that wasn't to be so we decided to re-work the site differently due to her passing. 

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 Therefore, we've dedicated this portion of the site to honor and remember Lara Parker and all that she meant to each of us. 

 

Family, friends and fans are welcome and encouraged to submit tributes, remembrances or special messages on what this incredible woman has meant to you, or how she may have touched your life, in some sort of special way. 

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Note: This page, as many others on this site whill be updated frequently, so please be sure to fill out the Guest Book below to be notified when changes occur. None of your information will be used for ANY other purpose. 

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To start this off the first two entries are below. 

Krista:

 In memory of Lara, I’d like to share to with all of you what she meant to me as a woman. I was 9 years old when I first saw Lara as Angelique on Dark Shadows.  When I saw her for the first time, she took my breath away by her beauty. As David Selby once said she was ‘stunningly beautiful’.  That day, I don’t know which came first: being stunned or having my breath taken away or both at the same time. I just knew she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. And, after more than 50 years later, she still is. 

I began watching Dark Shadows in 1969 during the 1897 Flashback.  In hindsight, I was glad that I had started watching the show during this storyline rather than from the beginning. By this time, Lara had been on the show for a while and had made the character of Angelique more her own. The complex nature of Angelique’s personality had become very apparent and multi-faceted.  I immediately connected with her. I saw her as a woman that represented something I not seen and had dared to dream I could be like. A connection was formed. 

Over the years, I have met with SO many other girls and women that she touched in much the same way through her portrayal of Angelique. They, too, saw her as a role model in much the same way as well. I believe this is one of the key reasons why Lara’s portrayal of Angelique became such a compelling main character that transcended all expectations and has endured to this day.  

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​Chloe:

​I wanted to take a moment to pay my respects to Lara Parker who passed away a year ago today. As a child, the character of Angelique meant everything to me, she showed me that females could be strong, intelligent, self-sufficient and beautiful at the same time. I loved watching Dark Shadows as a child & was always disappointed when she would not be on that day.

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As an adult I had not watched Dark Shadows in years except here and there. That changed when I heard of the news of Lara’s death. I was filled with such a deep & profound loss, because she, & the character she brought to life were such an integral part of my childhood.

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I regret never having met her, because I truly loved her. Immediately after hearing of her passing I searched for places where I could watch Dark Shadows just so I could catch a glimpse of beautiful Angelique. Well, I have watched the series all the way through three times now in the last year & I never tire of it. Things I never noticed as a child, I have seen now & appreciate this landmark series even more…it never goes out of style. Nor does Angelique & Lara.

 

After rediscovering Dark Shadows, I found these wonderful facebook groups to join & have met some wonderful people & several good friends. This has given me such joy & fulfillment to contribute to these groups….& it’s fun!

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Once again, Angelique & her portrayer Lara Parker,  have influenced many areas of my life in such a magical & special way…& I am forever grateful to this beautiful goddess named Lara Parker.

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