Derral Wayne Parks

Derral Wayne Parks, 78, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, went to be with the Lord on March 29, 2018, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. A celebration of his life will be held 10:00 a.m., Monday, April 2, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, with Rev. Lester Adams and Rev. Ricky Woodall officiating. The graveside service will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation will be held 9:00-10:00 a.m., prior to the service, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey. Derral was born in Waco, Texas, on January 22, 1940 to Maglee Chase Parks and Claude Hampton Parks. He attended La Vega High School, where he played varsity football and met his wife of nearly 57 years, Betty Ann Beatty. He later graduated from Baylor University, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in 1961. Upon his graduation from Baylor, he joined A.C. Upleger and Company. He and Betty were married on September 15, 1961, at Bellmead First Baptist Church. Derral had a true passion for his work, his clients and his co-workers. While the name changed several times over the years, his career, which spanned over 56 years, was spent with the same firm he joined in 1961. Over the years, he served as an auditor for the firm, partner-in-charge of the audit practice and managing partner-in-charge of the office, all while providing continuing support for his longtime tax clients. He retired from KPMG in 1989, working since that time as a consultant for Jaynes, Reitmeier, Boyd and Therrell, P.C. He officially retired from the firm on December 31, 2017. Derral was an active member of many professional organizations, serving on the board of the Texas Society of CPAs and the Institute of Management Accountants and acting as President of the Central Texas Chapter of CPAs. While serving in his role with the Central Texas Chapter of CPAs, he helped to establish the organization’s continuing education program and established a scholarship fund in his name. He believed in giving back to the community and served in leadership roles for a number of civic and charitable organizations. He was a longtime Treasurer for several local organizations including Caritas, the Waco Performing Arts/Waco Hippodrome Theatre and the Waco Arts Center. Derral also believed in giving back to the church – he served as a Deacon at Spring Street Baptist Church, where he and his family were active for many years. More recently, he served as a Deacon of First Baptist Church Hubbard, where he and his wife, Betty, were active members. Derral’s other true passion was his family. He would literally light up when around them and loved each of them unconditionally, both through his words and actions. He played an active role in each of their lives, faithfully attending band concerts, half-time shows, baseball games and dance recitals in support of his children and grandchildren over the years. He and his family enjoyed spending time together on the beach in Port Aransas and at the family’s farm. Time spent together at the farm was particularly special. Whether it was celebrating the holidays, riding the tractor with PaPa decked out in his overalls, making homemade ice cream, roasting marshmallows, planting and harvesting the annual garden or playing endless games of “42,” this time together was priceless and will be cherished by Derral’s family for many years to come. He and his wife enjoyed attending Lady Bears basketball games, near and far, and loved to travel. Over the years, they were able to make many international trips with a group of lifelong friends. Derral was preceded in death by his parents, Maglee Chase Parks and Claude Parks. He is survived by his loving wife, Betty Parks of Waco; two daughters, D’Ann Lavine and husband, Mark, of Sugarland and Denise Parks Burrell and husband, David, of Carrollton; sister, Claudine Everett of Denton; and other cherished family and friends. The greatest loves of his life were his grandchildren, Graham Hampton Lavine, Cameron Grace Lavine and Piper Jensen Burrell. Pallbearers will include Larry Jaynes, Donn McMahan, Joe McKenzie, Mike Reitmeier, Kenneth Knowles, and Billy Rose. The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Dr. John Warner and Dr. Kevin Courtney of UT Southwestern Medical Center. We can never thank you enough for the gift of time that you gave us. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Caritas or First Baptist Church Hubbard Building Fund. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.