William Jesse Parks

Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 25, 2013, at Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home Chapel of Faith, 5701 Highway 277 South, with Mike Jones officiating. Burial will follow in Elmwood Memorial Park Cemetery, directed by Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home. The family will receive friends at a visitation 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

One of five children, Jesse Parks was born on October 17, 1923 in Clyde, Texas to William Holland and Kate Parks. He attended Baird Schools and spent most of his early years on a farm between Baird and Putnam. Jesse left the farm when he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943. He was in the 794th Bomb Squadron and served honorably in India, China, and Burma during World War II. He flew numerous missions over the “Hump” delivering supplies to China and was stationed on Tinian Island when the atomic bombs “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” were delivered and loaded on the bombers “Enola Gay” and “Bockscar” and then launched against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Jesse loved to share his wartime stories in his later years and he witnessed much history in the making.

After his military discharge in December of 1945, he started working as an automobile mechanic and attended Cisco Jr. College. Jesse continued his mechanic trade until his retirement in 1988 from McIntyre’s Auto Service in Abilene. He married Berniece Avery on May 29, 1948. He and Berniece had three children, Robert, Steve, and Teresa. Jesse and his family lived in Baird until 1965 when they moved to Abilene where he spent the rest of his life.

Jesse was preceded in death by his parents, William and Kate Parks; brother, Robert Parks; sisters, Suzie Burks and Sarah Cutshall; and his great-grandson, Samuel Reagan Parks.

Jesse is survived by his wife of 65 years, Berniece Parks of Abilene; sons, Robert Parks and wife Jackie of Breckenridge and Steve and wife Trina of Tuscola; daughter, Teresa of Dallas; grandsons, Zach Parks and wife Della of San Angelo, Lt. Steven H. Parks USN and wife Katie of Long Beach, Mississippi, Jesse Clewis of Houston, Dylan Clewis of Houston, Shaun Threadgill of San Antonio; granddaughters, Stephanie Cook and husband Brian of Pleasanton, Texas, Avery Parks of Austin, Texas, and Miranda Hunter of Kingwood, Texas; six great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and his older brother, Bruce Parks of Abilene.

Jesse was a caring and loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather and will be greatly missed. He was a Baptist.

The family would like to express their thanks for the staff at The Oaks at Radford Hills for their professional and wonderful care they gave to Jesse for his last few years and Hospice of the Big Country in his final days.

Memorials may be sent to Meals-on-Wheels Plus, Inc., P.O. Box 903, Abilene, Texas 79604.