James Kennon Parma

We mournfully announce the passing of our beloved brother, James Kennon Parma, who entered his eternal rest at the age of 65. Jim entered this life quietly on October 18, 1957, as the third child of four children born to Jerome and Kathleen Parma. While Jim would remain quiet in many ways, anyone who knew Jim knew that he could never stop moving. In fact, in a fitting metaphor for Jim’s life, his uncle George recalls Baby Jimmy’s uncanny ability to stand in his crib and move it across a room by pulling on the slats.

This strong, restless boy went on to lead a life of wild adventures, intense passion, and unmatched imagination. Childhood interests included paleontology, astronomy, and photography. An early appreciation for art and antiques started to reveal itself, as young Jim snapped unique 35mm photos with an archaic camera and processed the film in his own darkroom. From there, his passions grew to include many that continued through adulthood: absorbing books of all kinds; backpacking with Mary, Chip, cousins, and friends; building and painting models; thoroughly studying WWII theaters, strategies, and heroes; collecting and selling classic toys; restoring and riding older bicycles; watching, listening to, and discussing professional and college sports; exercising with sister Barbara; learning to glide with his good friend Steve; bringing a fanciful world to life through vibrant, whimsical drawings; exploring just about anything involving technology; and bestowing upon family and friends generous, love-filled gifts.

Speaking of gifts, Jim was always a gifted athlete. He gained numerous honors as a Central Catholic High School football player, including TCIL All-State. As a pole vaulter, he won the 1975 Alamo Relays gold medal, beating out a field of the most talented pole vaulters in the area. Nevertheless, Jim’s happiest athletic memories and most glorious athletic feats took place in the Parmas’ backyard. Throughout Jim’s elementary and high school years, neighbors, siblings, and St. Peter’s friends were often found playing tackle football, escaping from the backyard fort in “Prisoners of War,” participating in the Jim-run “Olympics,” or launching themselves skyward in the Parmas’ regulation-sized pole-vaulting pit. Although Jim was recruited by NCAA Division I SMU and Division II National Champion Texas A&I for his football talents, he chose to enroll in Texas A&M’s geophysics degree program instead.

Jim never earned that degree in geophysics; however, his A&M experiences set the stage for some of his biggest and most memorable exploits. At nineteen, he embarked on a multi-year escapade throughout Mexico, Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. As a mud-logging engineer on off-shore oil rigs, Jim collected countless stories of working alongside colorful individuals, developing a keen sense of culture, and learning how to handle often dangerous and tense situations with remarkable aplomb. When the oil industry ran dry, Jim reinvented himself as the bartender James, which led him on another series of unforgettable adventures. For two decades, James amassed exciting, often-hilarious stories and a host of lifelong friends in the bar business, all the while caring for our mother and Aunt Barbara after Daddy died and intermittently attending school. It was while he was taking computer classes at SAC that one of his professors hired him to be an IT Specialist for the Nix Hospital System. This, his final job, became a career that he greatly enjoyed—one which he approached as a calling to serve others.

Jim never married or had children of his own, yet he remained a central figure in the Parma family. While he never sought the limelight, he always ended up being the center of attention. Many family gatherings included uproarious laughter, as we listened intently to Jim’s stories and unique take on life. It was clear that his great passion extended to his love for not only his immediate family, but to his nieces, nephews, and friends. In Jim’s later years, despite his becoming fiercely private and rarely talking to many relatives or friends, he spoke about them fondly and often. Our beloved Jim was well aware that all - from his dear family, neighbors, and treasured schoolmates to those friends gathered during three careers - contributed to a life worth living. As Jim’s adventures on Earth come to a close, we take comfort in the knowledge that a life beyond all imagining begins.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Jerome and Kathleen Parma; his aunt, Barbara Kennon; and his beloved cat, Rory. Jim is survived by his brother Chip Parma and sister-in-law Heidi; sister Mary Phelps and brother-in-law Wade; sister Barbara Peterson and brother-in-law Mike; nieces Katie, Colleen, and Becky Phelps, and Elizabeth Peterson; nephews David and Daniel Peterson; uncle, George F. Parma; aunt, Patricia Parma; and many Parma, Matocha, and Kennon cousins.

We wish to thank and acknowledge the Libby family, who, for the last thirty-plus years of Jim’s life, graciously allowed him to lease the residence that became his safe haven and well-loved home.

Services for Jim will be held on Monday, June 5, 2023, at Saint Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church, 111 Barilla Pl, San Antonio, TX. A rosary and memorial will be held at 10:00 a.m. followed by The Mass of the Resurrection at 11:00 a.m. and a celebration of life reception at noon.

In lieu of gifts, we ask that donations be made to the San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition, PO Box 692308, San Antonio, TX 78269-2308; Footbridge Foundation Animal Rescue at https://www.footbridgefoundation.org; or charity of choice.