William Harold Parks Jr.

William (Hal) Harold Parks, Jr. passed away peacefully on December 8, 2025, at the age of 83. He was born on May 27, 1942, to William Harold and Constance Juanita (Martin) Parks in LaJolla, California.

He attended Woodlawn High School, where he met the love of his life, Alandra Etheredge, and they married on May 13, 1961. Hal then pursued higher education at the University of Alabama, all the while working for his grandfather’s plumbing company and also mining in the coal mines of North Alabama. Hal earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Alabama on June 1, 1969.

Hal began his career with Lacefield & Associates and, in 1976, founded his own engineering firm. The following year, he partnered with Frank Cater to establish Cater & Parks, Inc., a professional engineering company providing mechanical and electrical engineering services to the commercial, healthcare, educational, industrial, and telecommunications sectors. Under their leadership, Cater & Parks, Inc. grew to become the largest electrical engineering firm in Alabama. In 1992, the partners amicably divided the business, and Hal, together with Ron Head, launched the Parks Engineering Group with a passionate vision for delivering high-quality engineering services to Mission Critical clients, including those in telecommunications, wireless, data centers, banking, and industrial operations. In 1998, Hal transferred ownership to Mr. Head when he and his wife were called to serve in the ministry Freedom in Christ.

With Freedom in Christ, they traveled extensively in the U.S. and other countries and became sought-after counselors, pointing believers to understand and believe their identity in Christ. In January 1993, they were asked to go on a short-term mission trip to Russia to disciple new believers, which Hal described as one of the highest spiritual blessings of their lives. Hal and Alandra returned to Russia four more times, sharing the gospel, discipling new believers, and making many new friends. Hal’s heart for the people of Russia continued to the end of his life.

Hal was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He loved the Lord, friends, and family, sharing the good news of the Gospel of Christ and the freedom He offers believers.

Hal was a long-time member of Faith Chapel of Huffman and served as an elder. More recently, he was a member of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham. Hal and his wife were members of the Branches Sunday School, and he enjoyed meeting weekly for lunch with a group of men in the class called Romeos.

He is survived by his daughters Felicia Ashby and Kathy (Brad) Jones, grandchildren Meghan Alandra Howell, Alex (Shelby) Ashby, Hallie Anne Jones, Sara Jones, and Kate Jones, great-grandsons Clayton Ashby and Brooks Ashby, sister Sue Reeves, nephew Jimmy Reeves, niece Vicki Mann, and great-nephew David Vaughn.

Hal was preceded in death by his parents, William Harold and Constance Juanita Parks, and his beloved wife, Alandra.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 13 at Forest Crest Cemetery.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, January 3 at 11:00 am at The Church of Brookhills, located at 3145 Brook Highland Parkway, Birmingham. Please park in the North Parking lot by Highway 119 and use building Entrance 3 to access the worship center.

The family would also like to extend our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Lance Brown, along with the support of his wife Hope, for his companionship, attentiveness, and loving care of our beloved Hal.

Because he loved ministering to others, in lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the ministry, Freedom in Christ, 9051 Executive Park Drive, Suite 503, Knoxville, TN 37923.