Summary

• Hersha Parady's role as Alice Garvey in Little House on the Prairie was both confident and endearing, captivating the audience with her performance.
• After Little House, Parady continued acting with bit parts in films and TV shows, including a memorable role as Principal Dimly in Kenan & Kel.
• Parady sadly ed away in 2023 at the age of 78, leaving behind a legacy that was ed fondly by her co-star Alison Arngrim and fans.

Hersha Parady played Alice Garvey for years on Little House on the Prairie and then acted in a handful of roles afterward. Premiering in 1974, Little House on the Prairie ran for nine seasons and followed the Ingalls family as they made a home for themselves in Plum Creek in the 1870s American West. The show is loosely based on the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and uses the late-19th century setting to explore modern themes.

There were plenty of life lessons to be learned from Little House on the Prairie episodes, and the talented ensemble cast helped to make the world of Plum Creek feel authentic. One of those actors, Hersha Parady, was born on May 25, 1945, in Berea, Ohio. She began her acting career in the film Spring Night Summer Night in 1967, under the name Betty Ann Parady. She got her break in Little House on the Prairie a few years later and continued acting well afterward.

Hersha Parady Played Alice Garvey On Little House On The Prairie

Alice Was At The Center Of One Of Little House On The Prairie's Saddest Episodes

Alice Garvey first appears in season 4, episode 1, "Castoffs", as the wife of Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen) and the mother of Andy Garvey (Patrick Labyorteaux). She is a helpful member of the community who taught at the Walnut Grove Church and School where she caught Nellie (Alison Arngrim) trying to cheat on her exam and was a post office worker.

Alice appeared in 34 episodes, with her final on-screen appearance being in season 6, episode 19, "May We Make Them Proud: Part I", one of the darkest episodes in Little House on the Prairie. In the episode, a fire engulfs the Harriet Oleson School for the Blind where Alice is working. Instead of fleeing, she stops to rescue a baby and a young boy, James (De'voreaux White). She saves James, but Alice and the baby become trapped, and she's last seen breaking a window trying to escape.

It's a horrific sequence of events and Alice's screams as she dies are haunting. Parady's performance as Alice was a confident and endearing one that enthralled the audience. Parady made Alice feel as if she'd always been in the town, even if she arrived in season 4.

Hersha Parady appeared in Little House on the Prairie season 3, episode 6, "Journey in the Spring: Part I" as Eliza Ingalls, a year before she would return as Alice Garvey.

Parady Continued To Appear On TV After Little House On The Prairie

She Memorably Played Principal Dimly In Kenan & Kel

After Little House on the Prairie, Parady acted in bit parts for the remainder of her career. She appeared in a few films, like Courage as Fay Canfield and The Break as Mrs. Lufkowitz. On TV, she played Francis Malone in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries and Principal Dimly in two episodes of Kenan & Kel.

Like Alice, Principal Dimly is also an education professional, and she also catches a student doing something wrong: Kenan's doodle of her titled, "Principal Dimwit".

Like Alice, Principal Dimly is also an education professional, and she also catches a student doing something wrong when she discovers Kenan's doodle of her titled, "Principal Dimwit". However, unlike Alice, Principal Dimly keeps the infraction between her and her student. This was the last major role of her career.

Parady Died In 2023 At The Age Of 78

Parady Was ed Fondly By Her Co-Star Alison Arngrim

Like many of the Little House on the Prairie cast, Hersha Parady has ed away. She died on August 23, 2023, at the age of 78 (via THR). Parady had been living with, a brain tumor and her son, Jonathan Peverall, began a GoFundMe page to help with expenses that ended up suring its $20,000 goal with $21,385. After she ed, Little House on the Prairie Nellie actor, Alison Arngrim, posted a photo of herself and Parady.

The Little House on the Prairie Facebook page also posted a photo of Parady, mourning the loss.

From the tributes Hersha Parady received from the cast and crew and the on her GoFundMe page, it's clear the actress left a big mark on people as both an actor on Little House on the Prairie and a friend and loving family member.