He is survived by his wife, Mary; son, Richard Parra and daughter, Mary Elizabeth Parra, both of Dallas, TX. He is also survived by a sister, Ramona Parra, of Amarillo, TX, and a brother, Bernardo Parra, of Albuquerque, NM. He was preceded in death by his parents and seven brothers and sisters. Pete has numerous nieces and nephews throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Pedro born in 1922 in Canadian, TX, he was the second eldest child of a family of nine children. His father was employed by the Santa Fe Railroad. Pete graduated from Canadian High School in May 1941 and enlisted in the U.S. Army for WW II. He was assigned to the 854th Aviation Engineer Battalion in the Pacific Ocean Theater and served from December 1942 until January 1946. Returning home to Texas, he enrolled in Texas Technological College (now known as TTU) and graduated in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Following graduation, Pete was commissioned as an USAF Officer and was a Special Agent in the Office of Special Investigations (OSI). For the next 20 years, Pete and his family lived and traveled across the U.S. and overseas including Puerto Rico, West Pakistan and the Panama Canal Zone. Pete retired from the Air Force in 1970 and the family settled in Lubbock where he was employed by the Texas Employment Commission until his retirement from the State of Texas.
In the Lubbock community, Pete served as President of the Kiwanis Club of Lubbock Golden K
(1987 – 1989). He and Mary were active members of the TTU Dads and Moms Association for many years where he was awarded the “Big Daddy” Award in 1995. He was also a Life Member of the Military Officers Association (MOAA), Lubbock, TX Chapter 13; member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers.
He was an avid golfer and played weekly at LakeRidge Country Club as a member of the Senior Men’s Golf Association until he was 95 years old. Pete and Mary were active members of Christ the King Catholic Church and celebrated their 72nd anniversary in December. They met in college and were married at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Memorial contributions by check can be made to the P.S. Parra Family Scholarship at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Office of Advancement, 103 Neff Hall, Columbia, MO 65211. Note
“Parra-Wilson Scholarship” in the memo line. For questions, please call (573) 882-0334. For online memorial contributions: https://tinyurl.com/MarjorieWilsonScholarship
Visitation and rosary are on Saturday, February 6, at Resthaven Funeral Home in Lubbock, TX, from
4 - 6 PM followed by a Life Celebration at LakeRidge Country Club from 6 – 8 PM. Burial with full military honors will be later this year at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC.
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