Person Page 4,581

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Ruth Helen Parry

Ruth Helen Parry, age 94, passed away May 11, 2015. She was born in Lansing, Michigan on January 17, 1921 to Lee and Marguerite Bashore. Ruth was the oldest of seven children. She retired from Michigan State University School of Music in 1986 where she worked as a secretary. She loved spending time and traveling with her family especially her grandchildren. Gardening, bread making and storytelling were favorite pastimes. Everyone enjoyed Ruth's mischievous sense of humor.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd Edwin Parry; sisters, Katherine Titus and Arlene Moog; brothers, Daniel Bashore and Paul Bashore; her son, Timothy Parry and great grandson, Elijah Farhat.

Ruth is survived by her daughter, Camille Francis (Richard); sons, Thomas Parry (Karen) and Terry Parry (Charlene); daughter-in-law, Ann Parry; brothers, Richard Bashore (Marilyn) and Joseph Bashore (Kathleen); eleven grandchildren; twenty-four great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

A graveside memorial was held May 20, 2015 at Maple Ridge Cemetery in Holt, Michigan.

The family suggests that those wishing to make a contribution in Ruth's memory may send donations to Eaton Community Palliative Care, 2675 South Cochran Charlotte, MI 48813.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com Memorial #141638532):

Tim Parry, age 63, was born in Lansing, Michigan. He is survived by his wife Ann, daughter Leanne Winkel (Mike); son Michael; his mother, Ruth Parry; sister Camille Francis (Dick); brother Tom (Karen); brother Terry, (Charlene); grandsons, Mason and Tanner Winkel. He also is survived by uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.

HOLT – Timothy Parry instilled a love of music in a generation of mid-Michigan students, and on Feb. 8 some 200 of them will perform at a special memorial service celebrating his life.

Parry, Holt High School's director of bands from 1991 to 2005, and a music instructor before that at Portland schools, died Wednesday in Florida at the age of 63. In recent years he was a band and orchestra consultant for Marshall Music Co.

A Facebook event page has been set up for former students wishing to participate in the celebration and share memories, which are numerous.

"He became ill here in Florida with an infection that rapidly spread throughout his body due to his compromised immune system as a result of a kidney transplant," his wife of 40 years, Ann, said in an email. His brother Tom donated the kidney, she said.

Ann Parry said her husband was born in Lansing and attended Holt schools. The trumpet was his primary instrument, and he played in high school bands and at Michigan State University, where he received a full scholarship for music and a degree in music education. Parry played in several bands, including the Disneyland All American College Band and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Touring Band.

"He was a band director with the Lions All State Band and we traveled to many places with this band, including China and Australia," she said.

Working with kids

Along with his musical talent, Parry drew admiration as a person.

Beth Lewis, band director at Holt Junior High School, said she knew Parry for 20 years and taught alongside him for 12. She described Parry as a man who cared about all of his students.

"They adored him, and he just made everybody feel good," she said.

"Even the kids that struggled the most came out of Tim's class feeling good about themselves," Lewis added. "I think that was the No. 1 thing he did. He just made everybody feel that they were important."

Jennifer Wilson was the high school's color guard instructor when Parry came to Holt and eventually became his office assistant as well. She also knew him for about 20 years, and noted how he increased the number of band members from 46 to about 100 in his first year. He later built that number up to 200, she said.

"He wasn't just a great teacher and great musician, he made every kid feel important," Wilson said. "All around the state you'd run into people who knew him.

"A lot of his students went on to become band directors also."

Inspiring leaders

One of them was Jean Murdock, a band director for Swartz Creek Community Schools, near Flint. She also performed professionally with Parry in the Maple River Brass for 25 years and was a member of the Lions of Michigan All State Band when he directed it.

"I've been a band director for 24 years and Tim is the reason I became a band director," Murdock said.

She described him as "a phenomenal trumpet player" who had many chances to leave teaching and perform professionally, but didn't.

"Tim did have an opportunity to play for the "Tonight Show" band and he turned it down to continue teaching," said Murdock, who knew Parry from his Portland days. "That was in '81."

That was about 20 years before Magan Konoski became a student of Parry's in Holt. The 2005 alum set up the "Tim Parry Alumni Band" event page and as of this afternoon 193 people had signed on as attendees at a Feb. 8 tribute at the Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath Township.

"Obviously it's gotten quite large," she said. "We've got people flying in from Hawaii and California.

"It's going to be wonderful," added Konoski, who considers Parry an inspiration and a person who was "awesome" to her family. "There are so many people who have stepped up, and we're working really hard to organize this."

"We're going to get together and play for him one last time — one public tribute for all of his hard work and dedication to us."

Konoski said she planned to contact the high school concerning instruments and possible space for at least one rehearsal, noting that several former students hadn't touched an instrument in a quarter century.

The memorial service at 1 p.m. Feb. 8, at the Eagle Eye Golf Club, 15500 Chandler Road, Bath Township.

Lansing State Journal published Jan 27, 2015.