G. B. Parks

G.B. Parks, 84, of Millsap, passed away Monday, January 16, 2012 at his home, after a lengthy illness. Mr. Parks was born June 1, 1927, in Millsap, TX. Funeral services will be Thursday, January 19, at 2:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Millsap. Visitation will be on Wednesday, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Baum-Carlock-Bumgardner Funeral Home in Mineral Wells. He was preceded in death by his parents, Graydon and Elsie Bankhead Parks. His survivors include his wife of 41 years, Helen Parks, children David Meals and his fiancee, Kerrie Johnston, Jo Ann Felts and her husband Tab; grandchildren David Meals, Jr. and his wife Amanda, Jordan Mejia and her husband Robert, Emily Meals, T.J. Felts, and Austin Felts, and 5 great grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister, Barbara Houston. Mr. Parks graduated from high school in Millsap in 1945 and then joined the Navy. He later used his G.I. Benefits to attend Weatherford College and Texas A & M where he graduated in 1951. G.B. taught agriculture in Gordon for 2 years and then went to Clarksville, TX as the high school principal. While in Clarksville, he met and married Helen Meals and together with her two children they moved to Millsap in 1970. G.B. began teaching agriculture and retired in 1983. In his honor, the new agriculture facility was named "The G.B. Parks Agricultural Complex." Mr. Parks raised Charolais and Angus cattle and received many awards for his accomplishments in the field of agriculture. He was active in the Millsap Historical Society and was instrumental in moving the Fuller Millsap Cabin and the first post office into town. He also served on the Millsap Water Board and helped bring water to the Brock area. Mr. Parks was a charter member of the Millsap Farmers Co-Op and was it's president from 1974 to 1979 as well as a lifelong member of the Masons at Gordon, Tx. In his boyhood days he worked at his grandparents service station in Millsap and loved to hunt and trap along the creek that runs through Millsap. He spent time on Rock Creek with the last of Fuller Millsap's sons, hearing tales of the Indian raids. He also learned to fly airplanes at a young age at the Mineral Wells airport. Memorials can be made to the Millsap Cemetery, the Millsap Heritage Society, or the Millsap scholarship fund, at P. O. Box 238, Millsap, Texas. Mr. Parks will be missed by many family members, former students, and friends in the area.