Larry Parkison was born January 15, 1943 in Washington Court House, Ohio, to Ralph and Virginia (nee Havens) Parkison. He passed away on June 29, 2021 at UC Davis Medical Center Hospital in Sacramento. He was taken there after a motorcycle accident on May 10, 2020. His surgeries went well and he recovered from those injuries but waged a 14-month battle in the hospital with an unbelievable series of infections and complications. He fought heroically to the end, and was known to many hospital staff as “Larry Legend” because of the unprecedented number of times he recovered from truly life-threatening conditions.
Larry grew us as an “Army Brat,” having lived in 12 places before he was 19 years old. This helped him learn to make new friends and appreciate new experiences.
A game warden for nearly 30 years, he was happiest when he was outside, usually in the company of one or more dogs. He loved fishing, hunting, gardening, beekeeping, canning, baking pies, traveling to new places or going back to old places, and of course he loved telling stories. He had an eye for detail and an excellent memory, so his “game warden stories” were epic.
After retirement from California Department f Fish and Game, Larry built a small tractor business, and many people around the county know him from the tractor work he did for them. Most of his clients became his very good friends. This was the perfect business for Larry as he could be outside, he could spend time with people, he always made the area he was working in look a bit better through his efforts, and he felt he was helping people. Helping people was the most important thing to Larry.
He is survived by his wife, Bobbi; children, Bruce (Julia), Clinton, Heather, and Cole (Lizzy); grandsons Cole, Jr. and Nicholas; sisters Kathy White, Carol (Mel) Blair, Helen (David) Atkins, and Rachel Romero, and many, many nieces and nephews as well as a long list of loving in-laws and innumerable friends.
He was predeceased by his parents, nephew Kenny Gould, grandson Dwight Parkison, and brother Tim Parkison.
Memorial service will be outside on the terrace of the former Trolley Junction Restaurant located at the Northern Queen Inn in Nevada City from 8am until 10am on Saturday, July 17. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the NRA or to Sammie’s Friends Animal Shelter in Grass Valley, plant a tree or some heritage tomatoes, or just do a kind deed for a friend or a stranger as Larry so frequently did. He will be so incredibly missed.
