Lester Henry Parman
Lester Henry Parman
Lester Henry Parman
1926-2017
A devoted husband, father, life-long lover of music, and student of the Bible, Lester Henry Parman went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on August 26, 2017.
Lester was born on July 11, 1926 as one of eight children. He was preceded in death by his parents, Carrie Abplanalp Parman and Dennis Woodson Parman, and his four brothers George, Loren, John, Dennis, Jr. and one sister, Colette with Dennis Jr. and Colette dying at a young age.
Surviving family members include two brothers Charles Parman and Donald Parman; his wife, Eleanor Teel Parman; daughters Glenda Parman Hardin, Susan Parman Atkins and son Philip Parman and their spouses. Lester also left eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Lester graduated from Skidmore High School in 1944 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During WWII he served in Corpus Christi, Texas and Hawaii and continued in military service with the Naval Reserves. He used the GI bill to secure a teaching license from Baker University and taught school in McFall where he met and married his wife. He received a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University and went on to teach high school math in Coburg and Avoca, Iowa. Later he worked at Western Electric in Omaha.
In 1976 the family relocated to the Dallas, Texas area, ultimately residing in Allen, Texas. Lester began each morning with the paper, a cup of coffee, a Bible reading and prayer. He not only read the Bible cover to cover many times, but also studied it in-depth. Lester attended church every week and played in the church orchestra. He could carry on a conversation for hours, fueled by coffee and with the purpose of solving all the world’s problems. A kind and tolerant person, Lester tried to live by the Golden Rule, which he paraphrased: “Treat others as they would like to be treated.” After his love of God, Lester most loved his family. He was a kindly and caring father, husband, brother, and grandfather who loved his children and his grandchildren very much. He never missed a child’s ball game, a band concert or a parade. He was devoted to his wife, Eleanor, never forgetting the day he saw her for the first time, singing in the church choir, looking young and beautiful. Their love for each other never wavered through 66 years of marriage. Lester maintained a positive attitude in his fight with ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, but in the end he lost the battle. He was an inspiration to his friends, family and caregivers.
Lester will be interred in the Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ALS Association (www.alsa.org) and the Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org)
