William Parks

William E. (Bill) Parks, 88, passed away November 3rd 2010 at his home in Smithville, MO. He was born November 17, 1921 in Clinton County, MO, graduated from Plattsburg High School in 1939, and married Martha Chastain on May 21st the same year. The couple moved to Kansas City where Bill worked for JC Penney until WWII when he served the Navy in Hawaii and Guam as a radio operator decrypting foreign code.The couple moved to Richmond, MO after WWII, opening Bill's Market in 1952 once Bill returned from serving his country again in Korea. Bill and Martha moved to Smithville, MO and opened the Big V Supermarket 1962; but three years later the town suffered a catastrophic flood that brought ten feet of water to their home and destroyed the grocery store. Within 16 days, Bill had reopened the store and in 1976 he opened a second Big V in Kearney. Both stores are managed by his sons to this day.Bill was very active in the community.  He was the first President of the Breakfast Club (which later became the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce) and President of the Smithville Kiwanis Club.  He also served on the Board of Directors for Affiliated Foods and the First Bank of Missouri and was on the Smithville School Board for a number of years.Bill was preceded in death by his parents Truman and Helen (Smith) Parks, an infant brother Richard, and sisters and their husbands, Emogene and Donald Soper and Louise and Kelsey Scearce.Survivors include his wife of 71 years, Martha, of the home, four children Chastain (Susan) Parks of Kearney, Rodney Parks of Kansas City, Cheryl (Gary) Hill and Berry (Margaret) Parks of Smithville.  He also leaves six grandchildren Jeffrey Parks of Smithville, Marcee (Tyson) Hagale of Joplin, Bree (Drew) Switzer of Kearney, Lauren Parks of Washington, DC, Erin Parks of Tempe AZ, Kate Parks of Smithville, and great-granddaughters Amelia Hagale and Ellie Switzer.Funeral services will be held Monday, November 8th at 10:30 AM at the Smithville First Christian Church.  Friends may call Sunday, November 7th from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Smithville First Christian Church.Arrangements by Mount Moriah Terrace Park Funeral Home, 816-734-5500. Condolences may be sent to mountmoriahterracepark.com.

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