Stephen Parks

Stephen was born on Oct. 29, 1952 in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was preceded in death by his father, Cecil Holland. In 1970 he graduated from Sunset High School.

On July 18th, 2011, Stephen married the love of his life, Suzanne Leilani Gemmell, on McPhillip’s Beach in Pacific City. They attended Salem Alliance Church in Salem. Stephen co-owned Salem Clay Target Sports with Suzanne and was a lifetime member of the NRA. He supported local Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts in securing their shotgun and safety patches, and was an excellent teacher to everyone in anything shotgun. Stephen’s other interests included fly-fishing and fly-tying, and with his family he also enjoyed traveling, pheasant hunting, riding motorcycles and spending time on the Oregon coast. One of his fondest memories was spending three weeks in London in 1997 with his twin sister, exploring all that London has to offer.

Stephen was the most gracious and unselfish person, known for his kindness, gentle heart and loyal friendships. Growing up, he was always taking in stray animals and stray kids to feed and nurture, and those qualities carried over into his adult life. He showed those qualities in the way he took care of his mother and his wife.

He is survived by his wife, Suzanne; his mother, Maree Rushlow; his twin sister, Elaine Holland; his step-son Shane Marx of Salem, and step-daughters Leilani Harris of Atlanta, Georgia, and Yasmine Marx of Salem; daughter-in-law Pamela Marx and son-in-law Judson Harris; grandchildren Brianna Wheeler, Madison Wheeler, Zoi Yale, and Emma Harris; and three precious grandbabies coming this fall: Lina Marx, Taylor Marx, and Benson Harris.

Please join us for a Celebration of Life to be held at The River Place on Thursday, Sept 12th at 4 p.m. Stephen will be sorely missed by his family and friends. Contributions may be made to the Hep C Connection at hepc-connection.org.