Forrest Allen Parks

March 26, 1921 - October 20, 2013

Mr. Forrest Allen Parks, age 92 of Franklin, passed away Sunday, October 20, 2013 at his residence.

With military honors provided by the United States Navy, Mr. Parks will be laid to rest on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 2:00 PM at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in McKenzie, TN. There will be no visitation prior to the burial. Heritage Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Mr. Parks was born March 26, 1921 in Jackson, TN and was the son of Homer Allen and Willie Duggin Parks. Following high school, he received his bachelor’s degree from Bethel College. Forrest then served his country in the United States Navy during WWII, and after, from 1943 until 1953.

Following his service, he met another young man making his way in life selling Wearever Aluminum cookware door to door. That friendship with noted speaker and author, Zig Ziglar, lasted a lifetime. The lifestyle of sales never left Forrest’s life. He moved on to a successful career as an insurance salesman and broker, working and writing policies until age 91.

His daughter remembers him as being a “dynamic people person who was passionate about his family. He married Jean Margaret Chapman on May 29, 1945 and their marriage spanned the next 68 years, ending as they had committed – with his passing. During that time, Jean loved and honored her husband, and helped raise their four children.
Later, Forrest became a father-figure to several of his grandchildren, teaching them the “right way to live”, as well as teaching them to waterski, hunt, and fish.

Over the years, he was a member of the Bellijay (GA) Rotary Club and a faithful member of the Baptist Church, where he led Bible studies and taught. He was deeply sentimental and always had a joke for those around him. He led a full life and fulfilled most of the goals he had set, except one. With his passing, his memoirs, “Ain’t Daddy Good to Us” will go unwritten, but the stories will be remembered and shared by those who loved him.

In addition to his wife of 68 years, Jean, he is survived by a daughter: Margaret Wiggins of Brentwood; 3 sons: Richard (Rosemary) Parks of Madison, GA, Dale Parks and Bill (Sunny) Parks, both of Doraville, GA; 11 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one sister.

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