Leon H. (Sam) Parks of Waterbury passed away surrounded by his loving family at his home on Blush Hill in Waterbury on Sunday, August 28, 2016, following a brief illness. Sam was born at home on Hill Street in Waterbury on November 17, 1919, to Abigail (Child) and Ralph Parks, the oldest of four children. His parents both died when he was 16. The family was living on North Main Street at the time of the 1927 flood. They were rescued by boat after cutting a hole in the attic roof. Sam was a proud member of Waterbury High School’s 1937 state championship basketball team coached by principal-teacher Dac Rowe.
In his youth and following graduation, he worked a variety of jobs to help support his family. These included walking horses delivered by train from the Waterbury Railroad Station to the livestock dealer at the Fuller Farm (currently Cold Hollow Cider Mill) in Waterbury Center, being paid 50 cents per horse; doing chores on the Wallace Farm; being a polisher at the Rock of Ages sheds in Waterbury and Barre; and working at the VL Perkins Company (furniture store and funeral business) in Waterbury. He enlisted in the Army (after memorizing the eye chart to insure acceptance) during World War II and served with the 843rd Engineer Aviation Battalion where he saw action in Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland and Central Europe.
After the war, Sam attended the New England Institute of Embalming in Boston using the GI Bill. He was a funeral director for several decades proudly serving families in the Waterbury and Northfield locales. On September 14, 1946, he married the love of his life, Mary Ellen Lander, at her parents’ home on East Street (in Waterbury). They shared 64 years of marriage until Mary Ellen’s death in July 2011.
Sam is remembered for his kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, integrity and wit. He cared deeply for his family, including the four-legged members, the families he served through the funeral business, and his community. Sam served on the Waterbury High School Alumni Association’s board of directors for several decades; on the Waterbury Cemetery Commission for 42 years; and as an active member of the Waterbury Rotary Club. In 2004, he was awarded the Keith A. Wallace Memorial Community Service Award. His memberships include Harry N. Cutting Post #59 American Legion, the Waterbury Historical Society and, for 69 years, the Masonic Winooski Lodge #49 F&AM.
Parks is survived by his cherished granddaughters, Sarah B. Jacobs of Brooklyn, New York, and Elizabeth P. Jacobs of Barcelona, Spain; daughter, Cynthia Parks (POB 525) of Waterbury; daughter and son-in-law, Joan and Neil Jacobs of North Salem, New York; sister and brother-in-law, Pam and Dick Semenza; two special nieces, Richelle Semenza and Diana Curtin; and great-niece, Danielle Curtin, all of the Greater San Francisco area; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to Mary Ellen, Sam was predeceased by two sisters: Lillian P. Rowse of Bradford and Priscilla P. Murphy of South Barre.
The family wishes to express their gratitude to Sam’s many friends, the Woodridge Community, Central VT Home Health and Hospice and Dr. Peter Dale for their thoughtful and compassionate care.
A public memorial service will be held in Waterbury at a later date at the convenience of the family and will be announced in advance in the newspaper. Gifts in Sam’s memory can be made to Central VT Humane Society (P.O. Box 687, Montpelier, VT 05601 or https://centralvermonthumane.org/donate-now/) or the Woodridge Activities Fund (P.O. Box 547, Barre, VT 05641).
Arrangements are in the care of Guare & Sons Funeral Home in Montpelier.
