Robert L. Parrish's Obituary
Dr. Robert Parrish passed away October 10, 2014 .Dr. Robert L. Parrish Sr. passed away on 10 October 2014. He was preceded in death by Barbara Patrick Parrish, his wife for 55 years. He spent most of his early years in Henderson (Chester County) Tennessee and graduated as president of his senior class at Chester County High School at age 16. He attended Freed Hardeman College in Henderson, Tennessee and Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in 1945. Dr. Parrish became a dentist at 20 years of age and set a record as the youngest graduate at the College. Having joined the Navy to complete his education he was commissioned as a Lieutenant JG. Three months later, in a military ceremony, he married his beautiful wife, Barbara Patrick. After the war he was released from active duty and returned to Memphis to open his dental office. At that time, dentistry was largely based on extractions and replacement of teeth. Believing that teeth should be preserved he joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry, and established the Department of Periodontology to teach dental students to treat gum diseases, which was the major cause of tooth loss. He was the first and only Periodontist in the tri-state area for several years. He was a member of the Memphis Dental Society served as President. He was also a member of the Tennessee Dental Association, American Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontology, and the Southern Academy of Periodontology. He was a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon Fraternity, Delta Sigma Delta Fraternity, and Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. Dr. Parrish retired in 1983 from the US Naval Reserve at the rank of Commander. In 1985, he retired from the practice of periodontics. Dr. Parrish was active in business, as managing partner of a Holiday Inn franchising partnership with multiple Holiday Inns nationwide. He was also the founder of Tranquilaire, a drug rehabilitation hospital. In 2002, after losing his wife Barbara, he entered Kirby Pines Retirement Community. He is survived by a daughter, Cheryl Parrish Eddins and her husband David; two sons Dr. Robert L. Parrish Jr. and his wife Patricia, and William E. Parrish; six grandchildren, Amy Eddins Cuttie, Leigh K. Brown, Blake Parrish, Brent Parrish, Brandon Parrish, and Megan Harron; and two great grandchildren, Ava Brown and Mark E. Brown Jr. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, October 13 and the funeral service at 10 a.m. Tuesday, October 14 all at Memorial Park Funeral Home.The family request that memorials be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, “Behind the Stone Wall.”
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