Howell Parks, Jr.

May 02, 2008 09:37 pm

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Howell Parks, Jr., born on October 16,1919 in Muskogee, OK to Howell and Isabel Cunningham Parks, passed from this life in Houston, TX on April 21, 2008 after a brief battle with cancer. He was a beloved husband, extraordinary father and grandfather, and loyal friend. He will be fondly remembered for his sense of humor, his insatiable appetite for knowledge, and his integrity. The following words from half a century ago praising Howell’s father for “his nobility of Character, love of family, loyalty to friends, devotion to Country, high ideals and the rendition of unselfish service during the span of his life” are equally true of his son and namesake, Howell Parks, Jr.
Howell’s first twenty years spent in Muskogee, OK, were distinguished by his achievement of the rank of Eagle Scout and his service as an acolyte at Grace Episcopal Church. Following high school graduation and two years of junior college, he left Muskogee to finish college at the University of Minnesota. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1941. Howell volunteered for the Army Air Corps, trained as a pilot and served as a flight instructor from 1942 until he was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain in 1945. He began a career in the transportation industry with Mid-Continent Airlines after he left the service. In 1947, Howell re-located to Houston, TX. Following a brief stint with Braniff Airlines, he joined Trunkline Gas Company in 1954, where he was the Director of Transportation until his retirement in 1983. Howell took great pride and satisfaction in his involvement in the pioneering days of the aviation and natural gas pipeline industries.
Howell was a lifelong Episcopalian. He transferred to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Houston in 1950 and served the parish on various committees, as a Vestry member, Senior and Junior Warden. He found great joy in singing in the church choir of which he was a member for over forty years.
Howell is survived by his wife of 59 years, Florence Hammer Parks, and his children and their families: Margaret Parks and William Joseph Eggleston, Erin Eggleston and Richard Collin Salisbury, William Joseph Eggleston IV, Thomas Howell Eggleston; Ellen Headley and Thomas Cunningham Parks II, Mary Elizabeth Parks, Thomas Cunningham Parks, III, and Margaret Anne Parks; and Linda Jo Bolding and Joseph Howell Parks, Michael Warham Parks and Matthew Wallace Parks. He is also survive by his sister, Mary Parks Rafter, his nieces, Suzanne Parks Davenport and Jane Parks Hammond and her husband Donald Joseph Hammond, his nephew, John Michael Rafter and their families. Howell’s love of literature, music and his joy of life will live on through those who loved him so dearly.
A memorial service for Howell Parks, Jr. will be held on Saturday May 3, 2008 at 11:00 in the morning at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 3816 Bellaire Boulevard, Houston, TX 77025. For those desiring to make memorial contributions, please consider the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Endowment Fund, Houston Hospice, Boy Scouts of America, and the American Red Cross, all of which held special significance to Howell.