Obituary of Cecil William Parks

With sadness, we announce the passing of Cecil William Parks, late of Saskatoon and formerly of Weyburn and Oungre, SK.

Cecil was predeceased by his wife, Audrey Parks; son Michael Parks; parents Ina and Cecil and mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lillian and Horace Butler; siblings Josie (Bill) Hindley, Lyle (Agnes), Wes (Albina), Hazel (Ernie) Peterson, Nora (Mike) Schmidt, Dorothy (Maurice) Blanchard, Patricia Gardiner, Raymond; and brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws, Russel Hallborg, Armand Tremblay, Ted Beaudin, Roy and Stella Butler, Phyllis and Lawrence Bloor and Rod Butler.
 
Cecil is survived by his daughter Rosanne (Darryl) Kerr and their children: Victoria (Duncan McInnis), Hope (Cam Thompson) and Calista; his daughter Pat Wilkes (Kim) Wilkes and their children: Devan Lohse (Danka Spiric), Paige and Brady Popil [Kohen and Camdyn], Jennifer Frederiksen [Brianna Rose, Karter, Alexa Lee], Andrea Woods [Brennen and Adelyn], Travis Wilkes and Devon Wilkes (Kayla Myer) [Avery]; sister-in-law Delores Butler, and siblings Gordon Parks (Cathy), Maxine Hallborg, Darlene Beaudin; many nieces and nephews, and special friends too numerous to mention.

On February 14, Cecil Parks left to celebrate Valentine’s Day with his sweetheart Audrey, who passed away in 2016, just before they celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary.

Cecil was an amazing husband, father, papa, papa g, brother, uncle, and friend. He was a World War II veteran who attempted to enlist when he was only 17. The army staff refused him and told him to come back when he was 18, which he did. He did his basic training in 1945 and served in the Canadian army following that, but thankfully was not deployed overseas.  He continued to serve his community as a member of the Royal Canadian Legion South Saskatchewan Branch #306.

This story illustrates so much about Cecil. He was incredibly dedicated, self-sacrificing, and responsible. He always put his family and his responsibilities ahead of anything else. As a friend, he was light-hearted, kind and fun.
 
Cecil had many occupations throughout his life. As a young man he worked on the CP railroad in Parkbeg, SK.  Later he farmed at Oungre, Sk, where he also served on the RM Council.  Cecil concluded his working career at the Works and Recreation department in Weyburn.  This role allowed him to combine his love of sports with his job.  He would run the Zamboni in preparation for hockey games and keep the swimming pools in good working order in the summer season.

He had many interests throughout his life including sports (all sports) and was an especially avid fan of the Blue Jays and Canadian curling teams.  He enjoyed country music and always had music playing in the background.  He kept informed about current events and was a keen weather watcher. He enjoyed being in nature and bird watching, and until he passed away at Sherbrooke Community Center, he always had bird feeders outside his window.

However, Cecil’s greatest passion was his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He loved to spend time with them, encourage them, and share and celebrate their lives.

There is so much more that could be shared about Cecil in his role as father and papa, but the following quote from Forest Witcraft captures him best,” A hundred years from now it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank … but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child.”  Cecil Parks will be remembered by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren because of the positive difference he made in their lives.

We want to take this opportunity to thank the staff and volunteers (especially the intergenerational (iGen) classroom), who supported Cecil at Sherbrooke Community Centre, during his time attending the Sherbrooke Day Program and when he resided in the Veterans Village.
 
As per Cecil’s wishes, there will be a graveside service in Weyburn later in the year. For family and friends so wishing, charitable donations in memory of Cecil may be made to the Sherbrooke Foundation, 401 Acadia Drive, Saskatoon, S7H 2E7 or by visiting sherbrookefoundation.ca/tribute