I am truly blessed to have worked with Paul as his Executive Assistant for about nine years. We had a very good working relationship. I quickly learned that Paul liked using mostly his red pen to make lots of edits to documents. That was his engineering background coming out! Paul was a caring person. I remember the day when the floor caved in at the National Corvette Museum and he ran out of his office to tell me the breaking news because he knew I had a corvette. Paul also loved trains and we talked about our train sets. Paul will certainly be missed by family, friends and Staff. My condolences and prayers go out to Janet and all the family.

Paul was a kind person with a big heart and I’m glad I got to meet and work with him. I have a few memories of Paul, from the time he called me into his office after having only working at BG for a few months to give me a surprise bonus when I got to see the pleasure on his face as he watched mine go from cautious worry to joy, to our casual greetings at the water fountain. However my fondest memory of Paul was when he surprised me at my desk for the first time - I had put up fliers asking for help for another family in need and Paul stopped by my desk to donate what he could. That moment will forever be how I remember Paul - generous, caring, compassionate, and willing to go outside a comfort zone in order to help others. I will miss seeing him around the office. 

May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.

A great man that will always be missed. I am so thankful and blessed to be a part of the company he created and by his thoughtful care of his staff. My condolences to his Family. 

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this time.  My heart breaks for you, Janet, because I know you both had a very special love.  He always had a smile when he talked about you.  You were each others rocks.  May God comfort you in the coming days and weeks. 

My condolences to Janet and the entire family.  I was part of the Benchmark Group family for almost 10 years and truly enjoyed it.
From having Paul sign drawings for me  to get projects out the door, to having occasional lunches with Janet, Paul and his family were always good to me. He will be greatly missed.

My deepest condolences to the Parks family.  Benchmark took a chance on me and gave me so many opportunities that I never thought possible.  I had the honor of working side by side with Paul on many of occasions.  He was a man of few words, but he always had the companies best interest in mind and was always passionate about whatever he was doing.  He will be missed.

My deepest condolences to the Parks family.  I had the honor of being Paul and his family’s optician for many years.  Paul was always such a pleasure to visit with always interesting topics and I loved to hear what he and Janet were doing next.
 The picture of him walking downtown with his umbrella is exactly how my mind sees him. He was a substantial force downtown Rogers for many years.  Helping our downtown flourish with activity from his many employees.
My heart hurts for Janet and his family.  This passage in life is not easy. 
Time heals, memories are wonderful reminders.
He was a great man.

 I will never forget the kindness & respect Paul showed me from day one with Benchmark. Truly listening to someone, is a long forgotten practice, yet Paul did it well..  Though I only got to know Paul just under two years ago, he had a profound impact on me. His door was always open, and he had a highlighter collection that I could only envy. I was blessed to have cultivated a candid and authentic relationship with him, and I will forever miss our witty office banter or friendly interactions at the copy machine and in the hallways of BG. 
The photo shared with you is one that some told me I would not be able to capture, since Paul might not like his photo taken.  I just thought he looked so stylish that day, and felt it was now a challenge to capture this perfect moment.  We did have words prior to the photo, and Paul was skeptical of my intent, but when I told him how he was fashionable that day, he obliged and smirked at me amusingly. I like to think and hope he just appreciated my quirky directness. He will truly be missed.
Prayers & warm healing thoughts go out to the family and loved ones at this time. 

Paul Parks taught me how to be a strong professional, and gave me great confidence and encouragement that I could accomplish anything.
I've always thought of him as my "other" father.  His friendship has brought me great joy and I consider his family MY family.
Paul is and will always be GREATLY missed, but NEVER forgotten. Paul has made this world better place, no doubt. As much as it saddens my heart that he has gone on before us, I am encouraged in knowing I will see him again!!!

To Janet and all of Paul's family - My sincerest condolences in your time of loss.  Paul will very much be missed by all of us.
Paul was particularly a huge part of my life.  In 1984, when I applied for a position for which I was entirely unqualified, Paul saw something he was willing to take a chance on.  He interviewed me, he hired me, he trained me and mentored me.  I got much insight into his business vision, his intensity, and his strong ethics.  Paul has always been the quintessential engineer.  No possible outcome was overlooked.  He instilled that in me - ask my peers.
At the time he hired me, I appreciated the opportunity.  Today, I appreciate the career.  Paul made that all possible.  He will be missed.


My deepest condolences to Janet, Charlie and the entire Parks family.  I had the honor of working with Paul for almost 10 years.  He was a very kind and humble man with a great sense of humor.  Family was the most important thing to Paul and it radiated at Benchmark Group.  I do not know what I would have done without my BG family when I lost my mother in 2016.  Paul put forth an incredible foundation at Benchmark and his legacy will live on.  He will be missed by so many.

My deepest condolences to the Parks family.  Paul was always quick with a smile and warm handshake.  I certainly enjoyed working with him over the past 5 years.  He will truly be missed.  
Ken and the Stifel Crew

Very sorry to hear of Paul's death.  I can not even express the sorrow I feel.
Words can't describe my feelings.


Paul will for sure be missed and will always be in our hearts! Thoughts and prayers to Janet and all family members.  I am beyond grateful to have had some personal encounters with Paul. I will always admired his humbleness and the joy he brought to everyone just from a smile.. One encounter I will never forget was my last day of internship... I was walking out when I saw him getting off the car and make his way towards the building. As we crossed paths he greeted me and I expressed my gratitude for allowing me to help Benchmark for the summer. He then proceeded to thank me for all the work I did during my internship and then told me he would be grateful for me to come back and work with Benchmark full time once I completed college. Couple years later, that's exactly what happened and I am beyond grateful and happy to be at Benchmark next to an incredible team! Paul, thank you for every word and every smile you shared with us all. You will always be remembered! 

Working with Paul has been a joy since the first day I met him in my interview. He lived a life of humility and grace with a story-telling charm that enchanted everyone. My favorite memory was in his office on 3rd floor of the Benchmark Building - looking out over the large BG campus. I engaged him in telling me his story and he enthusiastically shared his first memories of he and Janet moving to Rogers and starting his company. He was beaming with pride but so humble. It always made my day to run into him and share a pun to see him smile and laugh. My heart hurts and goes out to Janet, Charlie, and family. May you find comfort in the moments shared and also knowing how he changed lives for the better. His legacy lives on at Benchmark Group and will not be forgotten. 

 I had the privilege of working with Paul for several years. He was a creative, intelligent engineer who had the skills to build a great company. He also had heart for those who worked for him. I remember the times of appreciation parties at his home,  ball parks, restaurants, and Benchmark. These fun times were an expression of a thank you for your service from the company. Paul was a personal friend   who was kind and considerate. There were difficult times during the deep recession where the company worked to keep the people employed and Paul showed his leadership. Today Benchmark is prospering . We will miss him. Thank you Paul.   

I am so sorry for your loss, Janet and family.  I worked for Paul many years ago, and have great memories of my time there.  At the time, it was Paul Parks Engineering, and we were in the building at the corner of Second and Walnut.  I definitely learned to always have a pencil or pen on my person, and what great fun it was when he randomly gave out $2 bills!  He had a great business mind, always updating and printing out his "to-do list"!  He had a heart of gold towards his family, and cared about his employees and their families.  Prayers and thoughts are with you all during this time of loss.

I've worked for Benchmark for almost 5 years. I haven't gotten to know Paul very well. But in passing he'd always crack a joke or say something that made me laugh. Normally we'd see each other in passing or in the elevator. I would always say Good Morning/Good Afternoon to him or ask how he was doing. Several times he'd catch me texting while walking to the elevator and he'd say "That's talent walking and messaging at the same time." which would make me laugh. Paul was an amazing role model and founder of the best company I've ever worked for. He will be greatly missed.

Believe it or not, Paul use to make me nervous, in fact I didn't really get to know Paul very well until the time it came to replace him as President and we began working together.  At that time I knew he would be very careful about who would replace him and he was going to take his time.  He was such a pleasure to work with during this time because he looked at not only what his thoughts were for a President, but he also considered what the Staff would want.  When the Board and Paul made the hard decision, I know he was very satisfied with his choice.  As time went on I  didn't fully realize the bond we had formed until my Mother passed away and Paul came to my Mother's Funeral and paid his respects.  He will never know how much it meant to me to have him and Janet their.  Another fond memory I had was the many meetings Paul had with HR.  As most of you know HR jokes around at times and this happened a few times while meeting with Paul, who vowed he would never sit with HR again.  So when HR was together we would call Paul over and try to get him to sit with us.  Paul would just shake his head and keep walking with a smile on his face.  I respect Paul so much for the way he ran Benchmark Group and the love and caring he put into everything.  Janet, Charlie and the whole Parks Family, I am so sorry for your loss and I will miss him terribly.  Paul, I just want to say thank you for the best job I have ever had.

Paul was a good man to work for. Janet and all the family you have mine and Sherman’s heartfelt sympathy and prayers in this time of sorrow 


I had the privilege of working at Benchmark Group for more than a decade. During that time, I came to respect how and what Paul accomplished. I produced a lot of videos for BG, many featuring Paul in recognizing the staff for their 10 and 20 year service. Each video was taken seriously by Paul, because he was grateful for the service each staff member provided. Not that he didn't have fun. Through editing, he got up to the plate for a fastball against the Naturals and score a basket for the OKC Thunder. And I still carry a pen in my pocket, all day, everyday.  My condolences to Janet, Charlie, Jim, Tom, Carol, Mary, and the rest of the family. I know Paul is already missed by everyone he knew.


I worked directly for Paul for several years.  He was very detail oriented, yet through this time I learned to understand the man inside the "boss".  He was kind, tender hearted, and actually had a cool sense of humor.  I came to the point where I would want to "fight a bear" if anyone disagreed or argued with him.  I knew he had the best interest of the company and his employees at heart.  Paul, you will be missed by many.

Among those I've ever had the pleasure of working for, Paul Parks was among the best. Over the course of my time with him, he sharpened his listening and communication skills to the point that I found him growing on me as a person. He was understanding, encouraging of taking time off when needed, excited at the birth of my first child, and supportive of my efforts to launch into a self-employment career of my own. I dreaded the moment I had to tell him that I'd be leaving Benchmark Group, and when I did, he said, "Starting your own business can be really hard." And I answered, "I knew someone once who started a business in his garage and it seemed to do pretty well, so thought I'd give it a try." A number of moments impressed themselves upon me, but among the top ranks a moment when I had a momentous personal dilemma. I rushed into Paul's office, nearly unable to speak, and he saw that I was clearly emotional. I said, "I think I need to leave." He said, "Go on. We'll talk when you get back." I did come back that following Monday, and when I told him what had happened, he offered that I could leave anytime I needed to. What I saw in him then and in the years that followed was a man acquainted with compassion and, while he might have seemed "all business" on the exterior, there was a genuine personal sense about him that I'll not forget and which cannot be replaced. To be sure, I'll miss him. 

OBITUARY

Paul Charles Parks

March 3, 1946 – April 18, 2020

Rollins Funeral Home

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