John L. Parkinson
John L. Parkinson, 53, beloved husband, father, son and brother, passed away Jan. 16, 2015 in Friendswood, Texas. He was born Sept. 5, 1961 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Samuel C. Parkinson Jr. and Mary Louise Thornton Parkinson.
John is survived by his mother; his wife, Regina Lee Dorman Parkinson of Friendswood; daughter Adrienne Bartley of Friendswood; sons Cameron and Landon Bartley of Rosenberg; brother Sandy Parkinson of Greensboro, N.C.; sisters, Gail Hardie of Charleston, S.C. and Susan Parkinson of Atlanta, GA; sister-in-law, Dana Dorman and partner Cindy Holmes of Lumberton, TX.; nieces Jennifer Williams and Kate Hardie, nephews Drew Parkinson, David Hardie, and Lee Thomas Dorman; and great-nieces Scout Hardie and Harper Williams. He is also survived by aunts, uncles, cousins, and numerous friends who all loved him dearly.
John took great pride in being a member of the North Carolina State Wolfpack, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1984. His career began at 17, as a school bus driver, and the fact that he could be entrusted with that job as a teenager, speaks volumes about who he was: dependable, trustworthy, competent, hard-working, and dedicated to the safety and well-being of others.
His resume includes 30 years of accomplishments in the petro-chemical industry, beginning as a production engineer for Allied-Signal in 1984. He relocated from North Carolina to Orange, Texas where he worked for Chevron Chemical Company. He also held engineering, management, and executive positions with Millennium Petrochemicals, LaPorte, Texas; Lyondell Chemical, Clinton, Iowa; Equistar facilities in LaPorte, Houston and Chocolate Bayou; and Lyondell Basell, Houston. Most recently, he led the development and construction of a state-of-the-art propylene facility in Houston as vice president of manufacturing for Petrologistics in Houston. He had been working as Maintenance, Reliability Engineering Leader for Ascend Performance Materials in Chocolate Bayou since April 2014.
John was Chairman of the Board for the East Harris County Manufacturers Association, where he was recently named member of the year. Other leadership positions included Director of the Regional Development Corporation, Clinton, Iowa; Director of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce; Director of the Orange Lions Club; and numerous other positions with United Way drives and various community projects. His time directing the annual Lions Club Carnival in Orange was a highlight for him.
John’s accomplishments were substantial, but his greatest joy was his family. His love, care and support for his wife, children and parents were unsurpassed. He coached soccer and basketball for many years and never missed a game — Adrienne, Cameron and Landon were his pride and joy. John was also very proud of his Green Bay Packers and had been a loyal fan since childhood. He also loved the Texans and his sons’ alma mater, Texas A&M University. John was a devoted tennis fan and seeing the French Open in Paris last year, as he and his wife celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary was a highlight. He loved travel, the beach, bird watching, astronomy, movies, Alley Theater and Houston Symphony productions, museums, golf, newspapers and woodworking. He was the number one fan of Regina’s art and spent many, many hours building frames for team Aquagirl Art, driving the mini-van and setting up tents and artwork. He was humble, selfless and completely devoted to those he loved and the community at large.
A visitation will be held Tuesday, January 20, 2015 from 6-8 p.m. at Crowder Funeral Home, Webster, TX. A funeral service will follow on Wednesday, January 21 at 2 p.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 18220 Upper Bay Road, Nassau Bay, TX, 77058.
A private graveside service will be held at Dorman Cemetery in Orange, TX at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a memorial donation in John’s name may do so to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org, or Orange Lions Club, P.O. Box 1572, Orange, Texas 77631, 409-779-3643.
Regina,
John was such a fine man. Terry respected him greatly. I’m praying for you and your kids and family. We are all broken hearted.
Teresa (and Terry) Cunningham
I was very sorry to hear about John. I had the privilege of working with John for several years. Regina my thoughts and prays are with you and your family.
Regina, Adrienne, Cameron, and Landon
John was an inspirational leader who always did what was right. Working for him the last 8 years has been a true pleasure. John will be greatly missed in the industry as well as the community he served. John had a strong committment to his vision at work and I am sure he had an equally well planned vision for his family. My prayers are with you all as you move forward with your lives under John’s and the Lord’s guidance.
Steve Straub
It is with sadness I write of my long-ago friend John. Attending high school with John, he was to me, a “gentle giant.” He proved this his senior year when he tried-out for varsity football and made the team. John was more an academic than an athlete, but he supported his team, and his school unquestionably. Always nice, level-headed, John had no enemies, only friends. “Even keel” would be a fitting description.
Attending differing colleges, we got together after graduation – John so very pleased with his purchase of an Audi Quattro – his reward for his academic and career achievement. We were all very proud of him.
There are short stories of his high school and college years I could tell, but to me those would not do his friendship justice. I will always think of him fondly.
My condolences to his family. Godspeed, John.
My condolences and prayers to John’s family. I am very sadden by the news and he will be greatly missed. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the HCAP meetings. As Vice President for Petrologistics he lead and approved many improvements for our community and our Elem. school, Pearl Rucker. He made remarkable changes in our lives.
Regina and Family,
From your First Baptist Church family and other friends in Orange, we pray God’s Grace and Peace upon you as you grieve the loss of your husband and our friend, John. Your lives and your contributions to our church and to our community are still felt here. Know you are in our hearts and prayers.
Barry Bradley
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Orange, TX
Dear Regina,
I was so saddened to hear of John’s passing. He was a great friend and colleague, particularly during the years together in the North Region, and I have no doubt he was just as great a husband and father. He will truly be missed by all of us.
My thoughts and prayers will be with you and the family over the coming days.
Jim
I was so sad to hear of John’s passing. I was friends with John in high school and and through college. It was always good to see him when the gang got back together to play basketball or just hang out. It was great to see him a couple of years ago at a reunion and catch up with him.
I didn’t read a single thing above that surprised me. John was a great guy and every one lucky enough to know him or work with him knew it.
I’m very sorry for his family and the of a husband and a father. My prayers and thoughts are with them during this time.