Curtis "Lee" Parish

Curtis “Lee” Parish Wenatchee, WA On April 10, 1937, Curtis Lee Parish entered the world with gusto. His parents, Curtis and Elizabeth, had almost given up on having any children at all; he was later joined by two siblings, Roger and Gerald Parish. Lee was a bright, gregarious and inquisitive young man from the get-go. He enjoyed working side-by-side with his parents at their farm. He also loved playing practical jokes on others. Lee never bought a gallon of gas for his car in high school. Somehow he always ran out of gas a mile or so from home and his mother would bring out the gas can and fill his car… he joked that his car ran on fumes. He had a brilliant mind and loved science. Lee served in the ROTC and the military; he was a weapons and tactics expert. He also worked developing chemical weapons for military use; this was something that he was always a bit conflicted about. Lee wanted to study to be a medical doctor, but funds for college prevented that from being an option. He obtained a PhD in Virology and became a world renowned plant virologist. He was also in the astronautics program and was scheduled to go into space. The tragic fire of the Apollo I changed the direction of space exploration and he never had the opportunity to go into space. He worked as a logger, with the forest service, in the agricultural industry, and then as a researcher. Lee traveled the world as part of his role as a researcher. Later in life, he traveled the world as a missionary. He was a man of science who had a passion for God. Lee married Maureen Bohnam in 1956. They had five children, Synthia, Katreena, Steven, Kelly and Casey. They later divorced and he married Carolyn Mylius in 1973. Lee and Carol had two children, Jennifer and Kimberly. Lee married Joyce Bell-Gillespie in 1982. Joyce was the love of his life. All of his children thought for sure she was going to be down the road when she looked at their dad one day and bluntly said, “Parish, shut-up!” Instead, he found her pluck and courage a wonderful balance to his drive. Lee never quite felt whole without Joyce by his side. During his struggle with Parkinson’s, he found strength and courage in her loving presence. With the marriage to Joyce, three more children became part of his life, Tracy, Lisa and Darci. With all of these children, you think that someone would feel neglected — not so. This man found the time to attend every special event of all the kids. He participated in their hobbies and had a way of making them all feel special. While he set high expectations for all of his kids, he also had a soft and loving heart. He was proud of all of his children and loved to brag about them to whoever would listen. Lee’s family was very important to him. He loved having all of the kids and grandkids ‘home’. If he had his way, the entire family would have lived together in one neighborhood and be together for dinner every night; spaghetti would be good. Curtis Lee Parish was a scientist, a man of God, a loving husband, a wonderful father, and leaves behind a legacy which we all hope we can do proud. He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered. A special thanks to Dr. Jeffrey Clarke and his nurse Kay; Dr. Sharon Seguin and nurse, Diana; Dr. Grosdidier and nurse, Bev and the wonderful staff at the memory care facility at Bonaventure. Also, a special thanks to everyone in his life. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Research Foundation. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 8, 2012, at the Wenatchee Free Methodist Church. Please express your thoughts and memories for the family on the online memorial website at www.jonesjonesbetts.com. Arrangements

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Curtis "Lee" Parish

April 10, 1937 - June 2, 2012