Monday, July 10, 2017

David Parman Honored for Service to Country

Over 100 people attended a special dinner and surprise party in honor of David Parman Friday night. He served his country from 1970-2004, a time period spanning 34 years. He received an honorable discharge from Vietnam, with letters of thanks from both President Richard Nixon and General William Westmoreland. He continued to serve in the Army Reserve, serving in Desert Storm, Bosnia, and then Iraq.

In addition, Parman served as a coach at Coffey, Jameson, and Worth County. “We had a lot of fun in Coffey,” he said. That school was even smaller than Sheridan by the time it closed, producing 1-3 seniors a year, with five graduating in its final year of existence with no 8th graders coming up. Coming up to honor him were around 10 of his former players, friends, and co-workers, including former Principal Rob Dowis, who hired him, along with Max Courter, who was the board president at Coffey and who later served with Parman as a prison guard.

Parman also kept a watch on water quality while in Sheridan and in Coffey. “The water tastes better in Sheridan than it did in Arizona,” said Chuck Zook, who lived in Sheridan, moved to Arizona, and has recently moved back to Maryville. While he was alive, the late Mayor Bud Allee, at one point, sought to bottle and sell the city’s water due to the high quality. “He is what an American is,” said Rachel Rush, who emceed the program.

In recent years, Parman has taken up even more hobbies. He continues to run Weekend’s, an antique and thrift store which also sells pop and ice cream; it draws customers in from outside the community. One person who came was a DNR man who inspected the city’s water system and then, after retiring, came back to check out Parman’s store. Parman started a fireworks show several years ago; with volunteer help, the show goes on. Fireworks were shot in town Friday night as usual after the program honoring Parman. Parman also has taken up art, painting some patriotic pictures on the side of his building.

Other veterans were also recognized, who had served in Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq.

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