Jerry Lorin Parkin

Jerry Lorin Parkin, our loving and beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend passed away surrounded by family and the love of those who couldn't be by him, on October 18, 2019, a week after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. The son of Lorin David Parkin and Thora Bauer Parkin, Jerry was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 21, 1934. Raised in Bountiful, Utah, Jerry had a happy childhood playing with friends and his cousin Jay Aldous, who was more like a brother than a cousin. When he was 7, Jerry's sister Diane was born and he grew to love her dearly. At the age of 17, Jerry's father passed away. This was a trying time, but it gave him a sense of responsibility and he took care of his mom and his sister until they passed away.

Jerry married his sweetheart, Evelyn Ruth Andersen on December 20,1957 in the Salt Lake Temple, after she waited for him on his mission. They are the parents of 7 children, 1 son and 6 daughters. He always told his girls that they were “as good as a boy”! He raised his family with the motto “Love Spoken Here”.

He attended Stoker Elementary, South Davis Jr. High, and graduated from “dear old” Davis High in 1952. He attended the University of Utah, receiving his bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and a master's degree in Engineering Administration. Jerry was a licensed professional engineer and he moved his young family to Southern California in 1959 where he worked for Rocketdyne and Riker Pharmaceuticals. In 1961, Jerry and Evelyn moved back to Utah and lived in Granger where he worked first at Hercules, then for Deseret Test Center, thanks to his sister-in-law, Sonja. Jerry moved his family for the last time to Bountiful in 1969 and began working for CAMDS at the Tooele Army Depot in 1973. It was important to Jerry to not uproot his family from their home, so he commuted over an hour each way for 20 years. He retired from the Department of Army (after almost 30 years) in 1993. At the age of 59, Jerry got a job with the State of Utah as an Environmental Engineer until he retired (for the second time) in 2000. He enjoyed his professional work and work in general. He looked forward to going to work and always stayed busy.

Jerry was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving a mission in the East Central States Mission from 1955-1957. He and Evelyn served a Welfare Mission in the California-Oakland Mission from 2003-2004. His church callings were varied and included Bishop, Bishopric Councilor, Scout Master, Temple Ordinance Worker, High Councilor, Stake Welfare Farm Director, Family History Consultant, teacher, and home teacher/minister. He was the recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award.

Jerry enjoyed the outdoors, camping, hunting and fishing. He loved the Boy Scouts and helped many boys progress throughout the ranks. From a teenager he worked in the fields and continued throughout his life to enjoy gardening and enjoyed sharing the fruits of his labors. Jerry was very friendly and made service to others a priority. He was very proud of his children and grandchildren, and always supportive and interested in their activities and accomplishments.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Diane Parkin-Speer.

He is survived by his wife, Evelyn, Bountiful, UT and children: Ann Holtby, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; Jay Parkin (Patricia), Napa, CA; Jean Parrish (Scott), Sierra Vista, AZ; Lynette Nielson (Alan), Fruit Heights, UT; Kristine Coombs (Jim), Rifle, CO; Susan Hoelzer (Erich), San Jose, CA; Joy Mitchell (Dan), Bountiful, UT; 25 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at the Bountiful Tabernacle, 55 South Main, Bountiful,Utah. Viewings will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 pm Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at Russon Mortuary, 295 North Main, Bountiful, and from 9:45 to 10:45 am at the church, prior to the service. Interment at the Bountiful City Cemetery. We are grateful to his many physicians, nurses, therapists and other medical staff who helped him over the years. We thank Quality Hospice for their help, especially Nurse Rachel who helped us so much during his final two days.

He will be remembered for his sense of humor, his hats and his owls. More importantly, he will be remembered for his love for his family, his Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Gospel. Everyone knows that they are his favorite.

We love you Dad.

“Fly low, Grandpa.”