William Parkinson

William Lynn Parkinson died peacefully of natural causes on December 27th, 2017 at Franciscan St. Elizabeth Hospital East in Lafayette. He was 89 years old. A quiet, thoughtful and unassuming gentleman, he was known to family and friends for his devotion to his beloved wife, his family, and his Faith. Born in Lafayette, Indiana, on August 1, 1928, he was the son of the late Honorable W. Lynn Parkinson and Elsie Ruth (Bausman) Parkinson. He was a graduate of West Lafayette High School and attended Indiana University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the Second Radio Squadron Mobile in Darmstadt, West Germany. He received training in Russian at the U.S. intelligence school in the German town of Oberammergau, where he met his future wife, Maria T. Holzlwimmer. The two were married on August 1, 1953. She preceded him in death on August 30, 2014. After his honorable discharge, he returned to West Lafayette and became the owner of the fashion-retail store in the Purdue Village known as The Elsalyn Shop, which he and his wife managed for many years. Having an acumen for business, he began purchasing farm land and eventually moved to the location of his main farming operation outside of Brookston, Indiana. After his wife’s passing, he moved back to West Lafayette. He entered the Catholic Church not long after his return to the U.S., and he and his wife became charter members of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in West Lafayette. After their move to the Brookston area, they attended St. Boniface Parish in Lafayette. He is survived by his three sons, William Kenton Parkinson, Michael Lynn Parkinson, and John Christopher Parkinson, by his sister, Ruth Ann Southworth, by his sister-in-law, Irmigard Maier, and also by several grandchildren, great grandchildren, a niece and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in West Lafayette Thursday January 4 at 11:00 AM, Fr. Ted Dudzinski and Fr. Samuel Kalu officiating, with entombment to follow at Tippecanoe Memory Gardens Mausoleum. Memorial contributions may be made to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament or to St. Boniface Parish. Hahn-Groeber Funeral & Cremation Service is honored to care for the Parkinson family. Memories and condolences may be left at www.hahngroeberfuneralhome.com

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