'Anything and everything': Melissa Parrett, killed in Florence shooting, was a devoted mom
Penelope Parrett left her aunt's Florence home around 10 p.m. Friday to go to work. She had told her aunt that she would be back later but ended up staying home and was going to check in with her aunt in the morning.
Instead, she woke up to a Facebook message that she hoped wasn't true.
"I rushed to her house, and I was stopped at the police line, and the cop came over. He's like, 'What do you know?' And I'm just like, 'I don't know enough,'" Parrett, 33, recalled.
Melissa Parrett, 44, was one of four victims killed in a mass shooting in Florence on Saturday morning. The other victims include Shane Miller, 20, of Florence; Hayden Rybicki, 20, of Elsmere; and Delaney Eary, 19, of Burlington.
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The shooting happened at a party celebrating the 21st birthday of Melissa's son, Brendon.
Chase Garvey, 21, showed up to the party uninvited and opened fire. Garvey fled in a car and led the police on a chase that ended with him driving into a ditch. Police found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
More: Man who killed 4 at party in Florence home was free, armed despite felony conviction
Three others were injured in the shooting, Florence police said. One of them was Melissa's 19-year-old daughter, Chloe, said Penelope Parrett.
Florence police have not identified the other injured victims but confirmed that they are in stable condition on Monday.
'A girl's girl'
Melissa, who many knew as Missy, was a "girl's girl," her niece said.
She loved going to concerts. Country singer Kenny Chesney was one of her favorites.
Penelope reminisced about going to church with her aunt and the pool parties she always used to host at her house. Melissa's house was "the place to be at growing up," she said.
Melissa also loved going to the beach with her kids, Penelope said.
Most of all, Melissa was an outstanding mother, Penelope said. She's raising her own 10-year-old daughter and models her parenting after her aunt's.
"I look at her and her daughter's relationship. I'm like, 'that's how I want to be with my daughter'" she said. "She just would do anything and everything for them."
Melissa worked for eight years at Toyota Boshoku America in Erlanger as a human resources specialist, The Enquirer previously reported. While there, she set up a bowling team at the company to raise money for a one-on-one mentoring program with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati.
"Missy's commitment, hard work, and positive attitude have left a lasting impact on all of us," said Naomi Umemura Diedrichs, a spokeswoman for the company.
What's next for the family
Chloe will no longer be at the Luke Bryan concert she planned on attending with her mother and a group of friends on Saturday. Plans for Brendon and Chloe to embark on a cruise with their mom later this summer are also upended.
Instead, Chloe Parrett remains hospitalized five days after the shooting and the family is somberly making plans for a funeral.
Penelope Parrett said Chloe is expected to be released from hospital by the end of the week or early next week.
She anticipates a funeral service for Melissa taking place at the end of next week.
The family is left to ponder what's next for their Ridgecrest Drive home – the setting of an incident that forever changed the family – Penelope said. Plans for the house are unsettled, but the siblings know they want nothing to do with it, she said.
The Parrett family has set up a fundraiser page to help the family overcome the financial burden of the incident. People who want to donate can do so here.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Melissa Parrett, killed in shooting at son's party, was devoted mom
