Burl A. Parks (1921-2007)

PARKS, NORMAN, TURNER, SMITH, WILLIAMS, WOLF

Posted By: Tri-County Times
Date: 7/28/2007 at 08:42:14

THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Saturday, July 28, 2007.

Nov. 10, 1921 - July 24, 2007

Burl A. Parks, 85, formerly of Ames, died Tuesday, July 24, in Phoenix, Ariz. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3, at First United Methodist Church in Bella Vista, Ark., with Rev. Wayne Bartruff presiding.

Burl A. Parks was born Nov. 10, 1921, in Malvern. One of 15 children, Burl Parks served in the Army during World War II and spent two and a half years as a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. After the war, he left Glenwood on the train in 1946 to attend Iowa State College in Ames.

After graduation in 1950, he joined the city planning department in Davenport. He was later an assistant planner for the city of Memphis, Tenn., and became director of city planning for the city of Richmond, Va., in 1957. In 1960, Burl returned to Davenport as director of city planning. In 1963, he joined the Extension faculty at Iowa State University as an associate professor of landscape architecture and regional planning.

He was known for his sense of humor and would often draw cartoons to commemorate a special occasion for his family and friends. He enjoyed golf and the friends and family that he shared the game with over the years.

He retired to Bella Vista, Ark., in 1982, and moved to Lexington, Ky., in 2005.

He is survived by one son, John (Barbara) Parks, of Columbia, S.C.; two daughters, Susan (Mark) Turner, of Phoenix, Ariz., and Peggy Smith, of Bentonville, Ark.; six grandchildren, Jason Parks, Heather Parks, Brittany Parks, Matthew Williams, Jacqueline Smith, and Jonathan Smith; and one great-grandchild, Julia Parks. He is also survived by a brother, Robert Parks, of Glenwood; and a sister, Doris Wolf, of San Antonio, Texas.

He was preceded in death in 1993 by his wife of 45 years, Betty (Norman) Parks.

Memorials may be directed to the Alzheimer's Association, 1801 Forest Hills Blvd., Suite 200, Bella Vista, Ark., 72715.

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