Jerry Orville Park was born on July 5, 1940 in Sherman, Texas to Thomas Orville Park and Vera Idella (Franklin) Park. He graduated from Sherman High School in 1958 and joined the US Army in 1959. During his Army service he attended the Signal School at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey and received training as a Meteorology Observer and was then transferred to Ft. Lewis, Washington, for further duty with a new unit stationed in the remote Gerstle River Test Site in Alaska and later at the US Army Arctic Test Board range in Alaska, where he served as shift supervisor. His Commanding Officer commended Jerry for his “wry sense of humor [which] often dispelled gloom during the dark moments when the Team was undergoing the throes of organization”.
Upon honorable discharge from the Army, Jerry returned to Sherman and married Joyce Ann Brede on May 16, 1964. Jerry and Joyce enjoyed 57 years of marriage together and were blessed with three wonderful daughters: Lisa in 1965, Debra in 1970, and Angela in 1979.
Jerry served 32 years as a City Carrier for the United States Postal Service and spent 30 of those years walking various mail routes in the City of Sherman. He was honored by the Postal Service as a member of the One Million Mile Club for driving 1 million miles without a preventable accident.
One of his many talents was the ability to build and repair electronic and mechanical devices. One such example was the restoration of an M37B1 Army Truck to like new condition. This truck had special meaning for Jerry since it is of the same type as the truck, he drove throughout the extreme cold of three Alaskan winters! Jerry was often seen driving the M37 in various parades through his membership in the Red River Valley County Military Vehicle Preservation Association.
Service was an essential part of Jerry’s life. For many years he served as a member of the Howe Planning and Zoning Commission. Most people in Howe will remember him from his 40 years of volunteer service with the Howe Fire Department including service as Fire Chief from 1978 until 1989. During his 40 years many fires were fought, lives saved, severe weather was monitored, and communication, equipment, and training was improved. Jerry was responsible for equipping the departments vehicles with their first radios and for overseeing many communications upgrades. He was also instrumental in the volunteer firefighters attending the Fire Training Academy at Texas A&M in College Station. Despite his humble protests, the Jerry Park Scholarship is given annually by the Howe Fire Department to graduating Seniors to honor Jerry’s service.
After his retirement from the Howe Fire Department, Jerry continued using the training he first received in the US Army by watching and reporting the weather as a Skywarn Storm Spotter for the Grayson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). He was also a frequent participant as a Ham Radio/ARES observer for the monthly City of Sherman Outdoor Warning Siren Test Net.
Over the years, the family referred to Jerry as their Superhero. Many who knew him at the Texoma Regional Blood Center in Sherman will agree! During his lifetime Jerry gave 48 separate donations, which totals to 6 gallons of blood in his lifetime. Jerry often encouraged others to give the “gift of life” by becoming blood donors.
Surviving family members are his wife, Joyce Park; brother Gary Park (Donna); daughters Lisa Park, Debra Graves (Wade), Angela Cox (Matthew); grandchildren Jessica (King) Riley, Ciarra (King) Smith, Sadie (Pierson) Hackney, Maggie Pierson, Harper Park, Owen Cox; and great-granddaughter Vera Hackney. In addition to his parents, Jerry was also preceded in death by his great-grandson Harrison Keith Hackney.
Funeral services will be at 2:00 PM on Friday, June 11 at the Scoggins Funeral Home Chapel in Van Alstyne. The family will gather to receive friends at 1:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Howe Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 518, Howe, TX 75459. Those who are able are also encouraged to donate blood at the Texoma Regional Blood Center.