Fred C Parks
SP5 U.S. Army
1968-1972
Fred was born June 21, 1947, in Iowa City, the son of Fred and Ella (See) Parks. He served in the Army in Germany as a Specialist 5th Class (SP5) during Vietnam performing crypto security. He underwent German language and voice interceptor training during that time. Though very private about the nature of his service, Fred was very proud to be a veteran and to have served his country. Fred began working in the moving business after he left the service at Bekins Van Lines in Coralville. Several years later, he started his own moving business, Parks Moving & Storage, in Knoxville, Iowa, which he owned and operated for 30 years. He later worked for a variety of trucking companies after which he found his niche working for Lowe’s for the last 5 years of his life. Fred was very interested in nutrition and health. In part because of this, he was an enthusiastic pescatarian for over 30 years though he did enjoy the occasional elk or buffalo burger. He liked to encourage people to eat healthy but always respected their dietary differences. Fred was a very active person all his life. He didn’t like to stop moving or slow down. Fred enjoyed playing volleyball. He also enjoyed skiing in Colorado but decided to give it up because of his concern that it might lead to an injury which could interfere with his livelihood. Fred enjoyed off-roading with his brothers when he was younger and, later in life, off-roading in his H1 Hummer in Colorado. In his early life, Fred enjoyed spending a lot of time hunting, fishing, and camping with his brothers. He was very close to his sister, Marilyn, as was evident by how much he loved to tease her as well as confide in her. Fred was extremely close to his Grandma See and spent many summers helping her when he was young. She taught him much about cooking, nature, and life in general and had a great impact on his life. Fred and his daughter, Christy, were also very close. He enjoyed sharing his many life stories and his years of wisdom with her. They enjoyed spending quality time together chatting from mid-morning until late into the evening many times on his visits. Christy loved her dad and took great care of him, even bringing him semi-up-to-date in the world of computer technology toward the last year of his life. Fred was known for having a good heart and helping people out—even complete strangers—whenever they needed it and never needing the credit for having done so. He treated everyone the same regardless of race, religion, or creed. He enjoyed teasing people, and he gave as good as he got. He was also a person in whom one could confide their deepest secrets knowing that those secrets would go no further. During his service, Fred received the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Occupational Medal (Berlin). He also earned not only a parachute badge but also a German parachute badge.
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