Cola lives in Wales, in the UK. She is married to Steve, has three children, 4 grandchildren, and two sons-in-law. Their eldest daughter passed away when she was 11 years old.  Cola and Steve were founding members of the church in North Wales in the early 1960’s, and one of Cola’s Welsh ancestors was the first musical conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, John Parry Sr. 

Cola and Steve’s son was 11, when he told them that he ‘thought he may be gay’. Since then they have navigated the LGBTQ journey together as a family, and North Star has been a part of that journey. Twenty two years on, their son is now married to his husband, and they love him with all their hearts. His being part of their family has made them all better disciples of Christ. This experience has shown them that when we magnify what’s allotted to us, rich blessings follow. 

Professionally, Cola works as a trauma therapist, and because of this she has served in different capacities within LDS Family Services over the last 20+ years, to include 10 years in the addiction recovery program. Serving in LDS Family Services has provided numerous opportunities for her to present and train leaders locally and regionally and nationally on the three topics closest to her heart, namely navigating trauma, addiction, and the LGBTQ journey from a Christ-centered perspective.  Cola is currently serving as a Family Service Area advisor within the UK. 

Cola is an advocate for trauma-informed ministry and meeting others ‘as they are, and where they are’ in their own story, and ministering from there. Serving in addiction recovery has also taught her how impactful having a ‘working’ relationship with the Saviour, Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost can be.