David Fernelius Parrish

David Fernelius Parrish, born January 8, 1925 in Trout Creek, Utah, passed away from causes incident to age on November 8, 2020. He died at home, in the only house he had ever called “home,” and was with family at the time.

David led a remarkable but humble life. He was the fifteenth of the sixteen children of Ezra B. and Mabel Fernelius Parrish. He began life small and sickly, born six weeks early. His mother died when he was just four years old, leaving him with only vague memories of her. He was raised in Centerville, surrounded by a large extended family, taught and disciplined by his father and his older siblings. Early on, he learned to work and keep at it until the task was done well. One of his jobs was to help any of the many Parrish uncles in Centerville, without complaint. He passes that legacy of “a little hard work never killed anybody” to all of his descendents.

He attended Davis County schools and graduated from Davis High in 1943. He was drafted into the army in November of 1943 and sent to the Pacific area to serve as a soldier during the last two years of World War II. One of his strongest memories of that time was serving in the forces that stormed the beaches of the Philippines on January 9, 1945, the day after he turned 20 years old. When the war was over, he served in the occupation forces in Japan and was mustered out in February of 1946.

In a turn of events that he could not have predicted, when he decided to serve a mission for his church, he was called to return to Japan to serve the people he had called his enemies just a few years before. In keeping with his nature, though, he never let any bad experiences change his love for Japan, the Japanese people, and the Japanese language that he could still use fluently throughout his life. He served in Japan for three years and always considered it one of the best experiences of his life. His love of his mission and supporting the missions of others is something many will remember about him.

David worked in the United States Post Office, starting out in the Ogden Terminal and working his way through the ranks of a mail carrier in Bountiful and finally as Postmaster of Centerville. As Postmaster, he began the tradition of calling all missionaries at the crack of dawn on the day that their mission calls arrived, a practice that continued long after his retirement. He loved working in the Post Office; he loved interacting with his community and being a friend to all he met there.

In 1951 his father passed away. In settling the estate, the family offered three pieces of property to be available to any members of the family who wanted to buy them. David was on his mission, but he wrote that he wanted to be included in this process, and his name was drawn to get the center plot, the one with the family home on it. Two of his brothers, Gib and Harold, built homes on the other plots, and this became shared farm space and a place where a family grew. He was thrilled to have his brothers on either side of him, and he loved being a part of that world. We have wonderful memories of shared times, vacations, community dinners, and putting up peas from the garden every summer. David loved his siblings and taught us the importance of being a part of a large extended family. As the executor of his sister Martha’s estate, he was responsible for deciding that each one of her nieces and nephews should receive a share of what she left behind, and he organized all of his brothers and sisters so that this was accomplished. He was very proud that his family had such faith in his fairness and equanimity.

In 1955, he married Venita Capson, a nurse, a friend, and a soulmate. She proved to be the love of his life and his greatest friend and companion. They are the parents of five children: Laura (Drew) Coleman, David Blair (Cynthia) Parrish, Ellen Parrish, Emily Parrish, and Tim Parrish. They have seven grandchildren, Celia Coleman, Clyde David Coleman, Jessica (Kyle) Boulden, Kjerstin (Dan) Vasquez, Carly Parrish, Zoe Rhyne, and Grace Rhyne, and four great-grandchildren, Libbi, David, Lincoln, and Dallas. They had a wonderful life, filled with travel, family, service, and adventures. Venita passed away in 2016, and he missed her terribly. He kept a picture of her in her nurse’s uniform, as she looked the day he met her, on his refrigerator and has consulted her every morning as he prepared his breakfast for the last four years.

David will be remembered for his optimism, his love of others, and his service and stewardship throughout his life. After his retirement from the Post Office, he served in the Salt Lake Temple for 25 years, and considered those days of rising at 3:00 AM so that he could be there on time an honor. His love of music extended to a love of all songs western, folk songs he sang to his wife as they worked, and his participation in the Swanee Singers Male Chorus. He raised a beautiful garden and kept track of all the fruit trees anyone asked him to prune. His legendary skills of canning homemade V-8 juice remain a goal we can only admire. He thought of every person as either a friend or just someone he hadn’t met yet, and he was always committed, when meeting someone, to find a connection with a relative or common acquaintance with his new friend.

As a World War II veteran, David’s service to his country included a love and loyalty that can guide us all. He was a lifelong Democrat and believed in equality and justice for everyone. He loved his country. One of the greatest gifts he ever received was the flag pole that his family had installed in his front yard where he could fly the American and the Utah flags. He considered it an honor to have served in the military. War, hatred, and anger were not in his nature, but love of country was, and we are very proud of his service. He was dismayed at the divisions and the rancor of current events and hoped for better times ahead.

Coming from a large family of brothers and sisters, David was a part of an even larger clan of Parrishes. He loved being with his family, especially times when he could be with all of his nieces and nephews and their families. He will be remembered for his good nature and kindness, as well as his ability to recount story after story of growing up in this family. He considered it an honor to be a Parrish and carry that name throughout his life.

He loved being a grandfather and great-grandfather. Nothing pleased him more than having a large family dinner, listening to the lives and adventures of all, and sharing in the camaraderie that his love of family created. His grandchildren will remember him as stalwart and honest, kind, and generous with, possibly, one exception. In the rousing games of Hearts played after the family dinner, he could ruthlessly slough off the “Old Lady” on the pile with a straight poker face, and he could hold his own as a card player to the very end. His grandchildren will always remember him for having a smile and a song for them, for providing them with priceless family memories, and for his early morning “Happy Birthday to You” renditions every year.

Funeral services are limited by the Covid restrictions. There will be a graveside dedication at 12:00 on Friday, November 13 at the Centerville Cemetery. If attendance is not possible, we would love to hear your memories or thoughts about David’s life and influence in the Guestbook attached here. In lieu of flowers, and in David’s honor, please do a kind act for another or sing a song to yourself while you are working.

If you are unable to attend, please join us online as Graveside services will be live streamed Friday, November 13, 2020, at 12:00 pm on the Russon Brothers Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/russonbrothersmortuary

As a family, we thank the many friends, relatives, and caring neighbors that David has had in his life. We thank his hospice caregivers, the Parrish Heights ward, and the greater Centerville community for thinking of him and remembering him. We will miss him, but are so grateful for the gentle life of this good man.