Edward Joseph PARKES Obituary
Jackson, Washington, United States
August 14, 1942 - October 30, 2016
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Edward Joseph PARKES Obituary
Aug 14, 1942 - Oct 30, 2016
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PARKES, Edward Joseph Ed, "Eddie P," "Fast Eddie," "Mepa," "Grandpa," was born on August 14, 1942. An adored father and cherished husband, Army Veteran, restaurateur, arch- itect, world traveler, builder, film director, boot strapper, entrepreneur, author and magician, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, October 30, 2016, at his home in Newman Lake, WA., preceded by his wife in death, Linda Lee Parkes (March 1, 2010). Edward grew up in Philadelphia, PA and was a little brother to (Joanne Lamelza and Elaine McNamara) and (Don Parkes-deceased). He graduated from Cardinal Dougherty and joined the Army in 1963. While stationed at Fort Benning, GA and assigned to the Medical Corps, he met his wife of 45 years Linda Lee (nee Blanco), and started a family. After busting iron in Hawaii, the family settled in Spokane while Ed continued his foreign assignments. He traveled the world building heavy infrastructure in exotic locales including, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Venezuela and Hawaii. On a smaller scale (and without permits) he constructed a playhouse, dollhouse, lemonade stand, and a puppet show stage. He prided himself on having the greenest lawn on the 'block' and was tremendously proud of his girls. So much, that when the two of them had followed in their mother's footsteps graduating with their Masters, it was relayed to the world they had their doctorates. He never intentionally inflated stories; he was just so full of pride. This practice was not just reserved for his family, his friends and extended family members also had their qualities and employment histories boasted. His generosity was unrestrained. He was the guy who would stop and pull you out of a ditch or order a limousine to pick you up from the airport just to see your reaction. He loved to give gifts more than to receive and it gave him great pleasure to do so. Ed was always doing a project and needed to be in motion. He loved sharing jokes and playing jokes. When he told a joke, he'd always ask, "Did I tell the one about..." and even if he did, you'd say, "No," so he could have the joy of telling it again. Playing jokes though on his sisters and friends was another thing that brought him joy. Once he asked his sister Joanne to accompany his other sister, Elaine to the mall, where he had secretly planned a visit. He just sat outside a store waiting for them to walk by. When they did, Elaine did a double-take and commented, "That man looks a lot like Eddie." He got a kick out those kinds of things. Another time, he planned a trip to meet his friend Miguel on Curacao Island. He went a couple of days beforehand, bringing with him forty T-shirts bearing the name of Miguel's company (without his knowledge). On the day Miguel arrived, everyone in the hotel was wearing his company logo. That was Eddie. After his retirement, his plans of leisure travel were broken when Linda passed away. After much reflection, he started to travel again. It was on one of these trips in March 2015, that he met Lily Magdalena Diaz. After a whirlwind courtship; via emails, phone calls and visits, Lily and Ed were married on January 23, 2016. While his passing was unforeseen, there is peace in knowing that Ed did indeed live his life to the fullest. Ed is survived by his wife Lily Diaz-Parkes and leaves behind his daughters: Brook (Mark) Cipolla, Mead, WA, Kristine (Erron) Mateer, Liberty Lake, WA and Kareth (Sean) Hyatt, Clyde Hill, WA; grandkids: Taylor, Rory, Paden (Cipolla), Hunter and Jackson (Hyatt), Grace and Jake (Mateer), and great-grandkids: Wyatt, Adam and Rose (Cipolla). A Memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please take the time to make a difference for someone less fortunate in your community as Ed repeatedly did. Hennessey Funeral Home has been entrusted with the care of final arrangements. Please visit Ed's online memorial and sign his guestbook at
www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com
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