PARMELY, David Ross 1952-1975

PARMELY, TRAGER, BASS

Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 2/27/2015 at 23:56:00

[Waterloo Courier, Monday, May 26, 1975, Waterloo, Iowa]

Services for David Parmely, 22, 326 Lester St., will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Parrott & Wood Chapel where friends may call after noon Tuesday.

Mr. Parmely died about 4:15 p.m. Sunday at George Wyth Memorial Park of drowning.

He was born Oct. 3, 1952, in Waterloo. He graduated from Dunkerton Community High School in 1971 and attended Gates College. At the time of his death he was employed at Ravenwood Nursing Home.

Survivors include his wife, Mary; a daughter, Marsha at home; his mother, Mrs. Marcella Parmely of Colonial Apartments; two sisters, Mrs. Cheryl Trager of St. Louis, Mo., and Mrs. Marcia Bass of Fort Greely, Alaska; and two brothers, Michael Parmely of Dallas, Tex., and Lt. Rick Parmely of Augsburg, Germany.

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[Waterloo Courier, Wednesday, May 28, 1975, Waterloo, Iowa]

Services for David Parmely, 22, of 326 Lester St., will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Parrott and Wood Funeral Home. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.

Mr. Parmely died about 4:15 p.m. Sunday at George Wyth Memorial Park, of drowning. Friends may call at the funeral home until service time.

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[Waterloo Courier, Monday, May 26, 1975, Waterloo, Iowa]

Sunny skies and a warm Sunday afternoon brought out the swimmers to George Wyth Memorial State Park, but the enjoyment ended in tragedy for a Waterloo man.

Authorities were notified at 4:20 p.m. of the drowning of David Ross Parmely, 22, of 326 Lester St. He had been swimming about an hour with friends and his wife, Mary, 18.

Parmely's death by drowning was the fourth of the Memorial Day weekend in Iowa and the second at George Wyth Lake in three weeks.

According to Daniel Kragel, of the Ellis Hotel, a companion of the, victim, Parmely had had polio in his left arm and "could swim, but not real well."

Kragel said before Parmely drowned he yelled to his wife and Kragel he felt sick to his stomach and was tiring. The three had been approximately 50 feet from shore in about 12 feet of water.

Kragel, who was with a cousin, Mary Wagner, of 617 W. 2nd St., believed Parmely was only joking. In response though, Kragel told him to hang onto a buoy which he was approaching. He did.

Nearing fatigue himself. Kragel continued to swim toward the shore, he said. Mrs. Parmely returned to her husband several minutes later. Together they started back for the beach when Parmely went under, about seven feet out from the buoy.

A youngster playing with a rubber life raft was summoned by Kragel to come over where Parmely went under. With the raft to rest on, Kragel dived and surfaced several times, but his attempts to save Parmelv failed.

Miss Wagner ran for help as Kragel tried to find Parmely.

Firemen began to drag the manmade lake about 4:30 p.m. and 18 minutes later retrieved the body from the water as a large crowd watched.

Dr. Edward Ceilley, of Cedar Falls, assistant Black Hawk County medical examiner, pronounced Parmely dead at the scene.

At the George Wyth Lake swimming site there is no lifeguard on duty and visitors are warned they must swim at their own risk.