Willie B Parkman

It's 1976. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the five Shelton Sisters are seated around the dinner table when they hear the unmistakable sound of his approaching car. He pulls up and parks in front of their house on Porter Street, and their hearts erupt in jubilation. He enters, always with a burst of energy and a smile a mile wide, impeccably dressed from head to toe in a suit and tie and glistening white shoes–tall, handsome, debonair, filled with energy and laughter, his very presence transforming the moment into an instant holiday. His entrance commands equal parts respect and joy, and we attack him with affection. When he came to our home for a Sunday visit, even the neighborhood kids believed he somehow belonged to them.

We welcome him inside, and he interrogates us, one by one, about our dental hygiene. He hands out crisp dollar bills to those of us who brushed and flossed that day, and lovingly scolds those who didn't in a private, impromptu "conference" in the bathroom. He'd then sit with us for dessert and coffee, but never for too long. Sometimes abruptly, he'd end his visit, usually dashing off to assist one of his many senior patients. With a fast and furious burst of goodness, he would blow in and blow out, always purposeful, always efficient, with never a moment to waste. That was Uncle Willie. He was everyone's Uncle Willie.

Willie B Parkman was born March 22, 1924, in Pittsview (Prudence Crossing), Alabama to Jessie Lee Mahone Parkman and John Walker Parkman. At four years of age, he joined his mother, brother, and two sisters as they migrated North following other relatives who had left the segregated South for a better life in Chicago. Willie's immediate family settled in East Chicago. His mother was clever and resourceful with the little they had. He recalled joining his older sister to collect the coal that fell from passing trains, which his mother then used to heat their home in the winter months. He also recalled the "Moonshine," that his mother brewed in her kitchen for the thirsty steel workers who lived nearby, a risky but lucrative enterprise for a young single mother trying to make ends meet. As a teenager, he joined the United States Army to serve in World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1945, after which he went to work at one of the East Chicago steel mills.

In 1955, Uncle Willie accepted Christ. This single decision charted a new course not only for his own life, but for our entire family. Uncle Willie's conversion experience continues to impact us, our children, and our children's children to the present day. Uncle Willie served faithfully as an usher in the churches he attended. For him, however, the decision to follow God went far beyond the rituals and duties of outward religion. He developed a deeply personal and steadfast love for God, and he committed to a life of ongoing communion with the Spirit and genuine service to others.

Uncle Willie retired from Youngtown Steel Mill in 1976, and for a period, he worked as an exterminator. In the years following his working life, he devoted himself more completely to a life of consecration, prayer, and ministry to the senior citizens in his community, many of whom came to trust and rely upon him as though he was their son. Fasting was a significant part of his spiritual practice, and Uncle Willie would often advise us that he was going into a period of consecration, during which we would not hear from him, and he preferred not to hear from us. For his spiritual devotion and generous and compassionate heart, God rewarded Uncle Willie with long life, good health, and a wealth of friends and family who admired him, cherished him, and held him in the highest regard.

In 2001, Uncle Willie left East Chicago to settle with his family in Louisville. As he advanced in age and could no longer live independently, he moved into the home of his niece and nephew, Lee and Tobi Shelton, who became attentive to his needs as he himself had been for the many senior citizens who were a part of his ministry.

Church was an essential part of Uncle Willie's life. He was a faithful member of several different churches during his 98 years which included Antioch Baptist Church and Faith Temple C.O.G.I.C, both in East Chicago, Indiana, Faith Temple C.O.G.I.C in Chicago, Illinois, Evangel World Prayer Center, Covenant Heirs Church, and New Life Church (where he faithfully attended Men's Morning Prayer) , all in Louisville, Kentucky.
Uncle Willie was the product of an interracial union. For his mother, who was black, and his father, who was white, marriage in Alabama in the 1920s was against the law. After he moved with his mother and siblings to eventually settle in East Chicago, it was assumed that he and his siblings would never see their father again. Through the miracle of technology and Ancestry.com, however, Uncle Willie was able to connect with his Parkman relatives late in his life. At 83 years of age, he traveled to Opelika, Alabama, where he met his first cousin, Mary Parkman Colman, also in her eighties. They became good friends and corresponded regularly for several years until her passing.

As his age advanced, Uncle Willie moved to spend his final years in the Veteran's Foster care of Angela Staudigel Robinson and Marianne Bond. Until the very end of his life, Uncle Willie retained a healthy sense of humor, and he enjoyed deep belly laughs during visits with his family. He remained emphatic about his love and devotion to God, admonishing us repeatedly to "love God, trust, God, obey God, and thank God," and reminding us often that no matter what comes or goes, "It is well."

Uncle Willie was a constant presence in all of our lives, and each one of us has a story about ways that he was there to assist, encourage, and even rescue us in times of trouble. We will miss him dearly, but we rejoice in the knowledge that he is now with his Savior and reunited with those loved ones who have long awaited his arrival to Heaven and to the eternal reward that he so richly deserves.

Uncle Willie was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings, John Parkman, Johnnie Mae Evans, and Katherine Hunter; his two nieces, Tobi Shelton and Johnee McKind, and his great nephew, John Darryl Hunter.

Uncle Willie leaves to cherish his memory his devoted nephew, Lee M. Shelton; his nephews, Robert Evans (Rose), John Paul Parkman, and Phillip Parkman; his six great nieces Terralyn Roach (Anthony), Teresa Reed (James), Toni Russell (Artie), Tammie Barcourt (Levi), Melanie Maina (Ryan) and Tamika Williams; his great nephews, Nathan McKind, Jeff McKind, Prince Williams (Christine) and Derrick Mackins (Cassandra); his great-great nieces and nephews, Averlee Cruz (Joe), Anthony Roach II (Alexa), Talia "Niki" Martin, Brooklyn Russell, Jonathan Demessie (Alexandria), Haven Hickman (Brandon), Julian Russell, Ryan Maina, Jason Maina, Erica McKind, Davion Young, Keion Grant, Tialah Grant, Michael Williams, Elisha Williams, Kannon Barcourt, Katriel Barcourt (Lavondria), Kyah Barcourt, Cierra Williams, and Christi Williams ; his great-great-great nieces and nephews, Kimya, Kyndell, Karli, Kamryn, Monroe, Amar'e, Sunnie, Ember, Domani, Axle, Pablo, Trinity; his adopted family, Nelyon and Angela Robinson, and Marianne Bond; and a host of other brothers and sisters in Christ, Facebook admirers, and connections in the East Chicago and Chicago areas.

Visitation will be 2 to 4pm on Sunday, October 2, 2022 at Newcomer Cremations, Funerals and Receptions, East Louisville Chapel, 235 Juneau Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40243, with a celebration of Uncle Willie's life there at 4pm. Burial will be 11 am Monday at Floydsburg Cemetery in Crestwood, Kentucky.

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