Glenn Franklin Parks of Independence, Missouri, passed away on Friday, July 3, 2020, at the age of 84. He humbly carried the cross of Parkinson’s disease, and after several years of declining health, he died peacefully at his home with his beloved wife Joan, their children, and his brother Jack by his side. Glenn was loved dearly and will forever be remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandpa and grandpa-great. Glenn and Joan were married on June 22, 1957 and recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary together. They were blessed with four children: Kyle, Becky, Karen, and Rhonda, 13 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren.
Glenn was born February 9, 1936 in Appleton City, Missouri, to Robert and Hattie (Holland) Parks.
He graduated from Appleton City High School, where he was a standout football player. He went on to study engineering at Central Technical Institute in Kansas City. He started his career at Honeywell and later moved on to AT&T, where he continued to work until he retired in 1989. After retirement, Glenn stayed busy running his real estate investment business, traveling and enjoying time with his family.
Family was incredibly important to Glenn, and many of his favorite activities revolved around it. He was always ready to gather with friends and family for fun times and the first to offer help to whoever needed it. He and Joan enjoyed traveling across the U.S., and one of their favorite destinations was Hawaii. He also enjoyed camping and boating with his family and friends and hunting with his son, Kyle. He and Joan established an annual vacation to Table Rock Lake for their ever growing Parks family and 50 years later, this continues to be a tradition that all his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren look forward to. For nearly 20 years, they spent their winters in Casa Grande, Arizona, and they met many wonderful friends who became like their family.
He was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Hattie Parks, his siblings: Gladden Parks, Esther Jones, Clester Parks, Doris Short and Kenneth Parks; his son-in-law, Steve Rellihan; and his great-great grandson Levi Bosack. He is survived by his wife, Joan; his children: Kyle (Cheryl), Becky Rellihan, Karen (Steve) Sherwood, and Rhonda (Paul) Smith; his brothers: Keith and Jack, and numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, family and friends.
He was vibrant, full of life, love and laughter and loved to tease people. He was always ready to gather with friends and family for fun times! He showed us how to live a good life filled with generosity and love and how to die with courage, grace and dignity. He will forever be in our hearts, memories, and prayers.
A private visitation for immediate family will be held Friday, July 10. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, at St. Marks Catholic Church, 3736 S. Lee’s Summit Rd, in Independence followed by a graveside service at St. Mary’s Cemetery, SW 700 Rd, in Montrose estimated to be at 1:00 PM. A Celebration of Life luncheon will be served for family and friends at Ann Knight’s pond pavilion near Appleton City on Highway A. The family suggests any memorial contributions be made to St. Mary’s Grade School, 608 Kansas Avenue, Montrose, MO 64770. Please reference the Glenn Parks Memorial.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, face masks will be required, along with social distancing. The funeral service will be live streamed on McGilley Sheil's facebook page. Just log on to Facebook and search for McGilley Sheil.
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