CLOYCE WILLIAM PARKS

Cloyce William Parks died Oct. 2, 2001, at the Palmer Pioneers' Home. He was born in Laverne, Minn., on March 3, 1902. He spent his childhood in Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. He graduated from high school in Sioux City, Iowa. In his teens he played piano in movie houses to silent movies. He traveled with dance bands, playing piano and sometimes drums in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota and Chicago.

Mr. Parks married Jennie Justine Mansfield on March 14, 1923, at the Old Methodist Church on North LaSalle Street in Chicago, where there is now a used car lot.

His loved ones wrote: "He met Justine at a progressive Halloween Party in Sioux City, Iowa. He came to the party with Justine's friend. As Justine and her friend were dressed alike they switched partners as they were going through a cemetery on the way to the next house. Cloyce did not find out until the unmasking that he had been with the wrong girl all night, as neither of the girls had spoken all night."

Mr. Parks had three children: Justin Cloyce Parks, who died June 21, 1926, Virginia Frances VanMatre and James Gordon Parks.

In 1928, the Parks family moved to Omaha, Neb., and worked in a small interior decorating store. Mr. Parks soon hired on with Kirkpatrick's Department Store in the drapery department.

The family moved to Hastings, Neb., in 1939 and set up a decorating department for the Brown McDonald Company, with stores in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. Mr. Parks traveled to each store, taking orders for draperies and slipcovers to be made in the workroom at the main warehouse and office in Hastings, which his wife managed.

World War II stopped all materials for the decorating business. Mr. Parks went to work for a construction roofing crew in Kearney, Neb., at the Army base. When the job was done, he signed up with the Army Engineers and was sent to Fort Richardson in 1943 as roofing foreman.

The Parks family has owned three businesses since 1948. The first was at Mile 18.5 Old Glenn Hwy., where they opened the Chugiak Coffee Shop, Gas Station and Grocery Store. In 1954, the coffee shop burned to the ground.

In 1957, the Parks family moved to Anchorage to start the Realtors Multiple Listing Service under the name of Parks Letter Service.

For many years Mr. Parks drove school buses for the Blackards, making school runs and driving the ski bus to Alyeska Ski Resort.

In 1966, Instant Printing was established when the first instant printing cameras were invented. Instant Printing was the first "fast printing" shop in Anchorage.

In 1982, Mr. and Mrs. Parks retired from the printing business by turning it over to their son, James, and moved to their Big Lake property.

Mr. Parks belonged to the Anchorage Masonic Lodge, Al Aska Shrine, Amaranth Court #1, Tupin Club (a pinochle club), Elks Lodge, Pioneers of Alaska and the Mid-Valley Seniors. He served as president of the Shrine Club in the 1970s.

Mr. Parks had nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

His wife preceded him in death on Dec. 13, 1994.

No services were held. Arrangements were made by Kehl's Palmer Mortuary.