Gary Lynn Fulton was born on March 23, 1931, the fourth child of Donald and Myrl Fulton. There were five children in the young family when disaster struck. His 29 year old father died in a construction accident and three years later, his mother died from cancer. His grandparents, overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for five children managed to make arrangements for them. Gary went to his mother's brother in Maloy, IA, population 50. His four siblings were adopted by Tom and Gertrude Mullin just 30 miles away in Creston, IA. Gary saw them occasionally.
He began calling himself Gary Parks to skirt lengthly explanations. Odd as it appears today, the school went along with it and the U.S. Navy let him use the handle as well. Eventually his employer, Standard Oil, required the legal name change from Fulton to Parks.
All the boys in Maloy worked hard. No one had a car. They got a few bucks on Saturday night or worked for five dollars a day baling hay in the summer. Recreation was roller skating and basketball. Gary played basketball all four years of high school. He chose "77" as his jersey number after the Galloping Ghost, Red Grange. On Alice's first trip to Maloy she was given a 3D cutout of "my Gary" in his uniform and she has proudly displayed it for 64 years.
There had never been any doubt in his mind that he would join the Navy. A brother, an uncle, and friends brought back stories of seeing the world. While he was growing up during World War II, national unity and patriotic excitement was everywhere. His class of four graduated during the Korean War. All three boys chose to enlist in their preferred branch of service rather than be drafted. He served four years in the U.S. Navy, stationed on both coasts before going to Tokyo, Japan, where he was stationed at Haneda Air Force Base. After being honorably discharged, he returned to Iowa. Gary was employed by Standard Oil in Billings, Montana, relocating to Sioux Falls in 1966. Shortly thereafter he went into the gasoline business on his own with Parks Amoco, which he operated for 25 years, retiring in 1997.
On May 7, 2019 Gary was able to join the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. His son, Donald was his guardian. Gary travelled to many parts of the world at the expense of the U.S. Navy. God Bless America and keep us safe were his words of wisdom.
He was united in marriage to Alice McDonagh in Forsyth, Montana on March 2, 1957. They recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Gary was a man of few words. His greatest legacy will be as a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Grateful for having shared his life are: his wife, Alice; children, Donald Parks, Sioux Falls and Mary (Scott) Brennan, Duluth, MN; four grandchildren, Jessica Alice Faulds, Brendan Parks, Tarah (Alex) Hill, Jack Brennan; sister, Sally Egly and a great grandson D.J. Faulds.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Karen Faulds Fratzke and a grandson, Dusty Faulds #23K; sisters, Shirley Miller, Joy Zmolek and brother, Don Mullen.
A Funeral Mass for Gary Parks will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Sioux Falls. Visitation with the family present will be one hour prior to the service. Burial with military honors will be at Woodlawn Cemetery following the Mass.
- Heritage Funeral Home
He began calling himself Gary Parks to skirt lengthly explanations. Odd as it appears today, the school went along with it and the U.S. Navy let him use the handle as well. Eventually his employer, Standard Oil, required the legal name change from Fulton to Parks.
All the boys in Maloy worked hard. No one had a car. They got a few bucks on Saturday night or worked for five dollars a day baling hay in the summer. Recreation was roller skating and basketball. Gary played basketball all four years of high school. He chose "77" as his jersey number after the Galloping Ghost, Red Grange. On Alice's first trip to Maloy she was given a 3D cutout of "my Gary" in his uniform and she has proudly displayed it for 64 years.
There had never been any doubt in his mind that he would join the Navy. A brother, an uncle, and friends brought back stories of seeing the world. While he was growing up during World War II, national unity and patriotic excitement was everywhere. His class of four graduated during the Korean War. All three boys chose to enlist in their preferred branch of service rather than be drafted. He served four years in the U.S. Navy, stationed on both coasts before going to Tokyo, Japan, where he was stationed at Haneda Air Force Base. After being honorably discharged, he returned to Iowa. Gary was employed by Standard Oil in Billings, Montana, relocating to Sioux Falls in 1966. Shortly thereafter he went into the gasoline business on his own with Parks Amoco, which he operated for 25 years, retiring in 1997.
On May 7, 2019 Gary was able to join the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. His son, Donald was his guardian. Gary travelled to many parts of the world at the expense of the U.S. Navy. God Bless America and keep us safe were his words of wisdom.
He was united in marriage to Alice McDonagh in Forsyth, Montana on March 2, 1957. They recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Gary was a man of few words. His greatest legacy will be as a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Grateful for having shared his life are: his wife, Alice; children, Donald Parks, Sioux Falls and Mary (Scott) Brennan, Duluth, MN; four grandchildren, Jessica Alice Faulds, Brendan Parks, Tarah (Alex) Hill, Jack Brennan; sister, Sally Egly and a great grandson D.J. Faulds.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Karen Faulds Fratzke and a grandson, Dusty Faulds #23K; sisters, Shirley Miller, Joy Zmolek and brother, Don Mullen.
A Funeral Mass for Gary Parks will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Sioux Falls. Visitation with the family present will be one hour prior to the service. Burial with military honors will be at Woodlawn Cemetery following the Mass.
- Heritage Funeral Home
Gary Lynn Fulton was born on March 23, 1931, the fourth child of Donald and Myrl Fulton. There were five children in the young family when disaster struck. His 29 year old father died in a construction accident and three years later, his mother died from cancer. His grandparents, overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for five children managed to make arrangements for them. Gary went to his mother's brother in Maloy, IA, population 50. His four siblings were adopted by Tom and Gertrude Mullin just 30 miles away in Creston, IA. Gary saw them occasionally.
He began calling himself Gary Parks to skirt lengthly explanations. Odd as it appears today, the school went along with it and the U.S. Navy let him use the handle as well. Eventually his employer, Standard Oil, required the legal name change from Fulton to Parks.
All the boys in Maloy worked hard. No one had a car. They got a few bucks on Saturday night or worked for five dollars a day baling hay in the summer. Recreation was roller skating and basketball. Gary played basketball all four years of high school. He chose "77" as his jersey number after the Galloping Ghost, Red Grange. On Alice's first trip to Maloy she was given a 3D cutout of "my Gary" in his uniform and she has proudly displayed it for 64 years.
There had never been any doubt in his mind that he would join the Navy. A brother, an uncle, and friends brought back stories of seeing the world. While he was growing up during World War II, national unity and patriotic excitement was everywhere. His class of four graduated during the Korean War. All three boys chose to enlist in their preferred branch of service rather than be drafted. He served four years in the U.S. Navy, stationed on both coasts before going to Tokyo, Japan, where he was stationed at Haneda Air Force Base. After being honorably discharged, he returned to Iowa. Gary was employed by Standard Oil in Billings, Montana, relocating to Sioux Falls in 1966. Shortly thereafter he went into the gasoline business on his own with Parks Amoco, which he operated for 25 years, retiring in 1997.
On May 7, 2019 Gary was able to join the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. His son, Donald was his guardian. Gary travelled to many parts of the world at the expense of the U.S. Navy. God Bless America and keep us safe were his words of wisdom.
He was united in marriage to Alice McDonagh in Forsyth, Montana on March 2, 1957. They recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Gary was a man of few words. His greatest legacy will be as a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Grateful for having shared his life are: his wife, Alice; children, Donald Parks, Sioux Falls and Mary (Scott) Brennan, Duluth, MN; four grandchildren, Jessica Alice Faulds, Brendan Parks, Tarah (Alex) Hill, Jack Brennan; sister, Sally Egly and a great grandson D.J. Faulds.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Karen Faulds Fratzke and a grandson, Dusty Faulds #23K; sisters, Shirley Miller, Joy Zmolek and brother, Don Mullen.
A Funeral Mass for Gary Parks will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Sioux Falls. Visitation with the family present will be one hour prior to the service. Burial with military honors will be at Woodlawn Cemetery following the Mass.
- Heritage Funeral Home
He began calling himself Gary Parks to skirt lengthly explanations. Odd as it appears today, the school went along with it and the U.S. Navy let him use the handle as well. Eventually his employer, Standard Oil, required the legal name change from Fulton to Parks.
All the boys in Maloy worked hard. No one had a car. They got a few bucks on Saturday night or worked for five dollars a day baling hay in the summer. Recreation was roller skating and basketball. Gary played basketball all four years of high school. He chose "77" as his jersey number after the Galloping Ghost, Red Grange. On Alice's first trip to Maloy she was given a 3D cutout of "my Gary" in his uniform and she has proudly displayed it for 64 years.
There had never been any doubt in his mind that he would join the Navy. A brother, an uncle, and friends brought back stories of seeing the world. While he was growing up during World War II, national unity and patriotic excitement was everywhere. His class of four graduated during the Korean War. All three boys chose to enlist in their preferred branch of service rather than be drafted. He served four years in the U.S. Navy, stationed on both coasts before going to Tokyo, Japan, where he was stationed at Haneda Air Force Base. After being honorably discharged, he returned to Iowa. Gary was employed by Standard Oil in Billings, Montana, relocating to Sioux Falls in 1966. Shortly thereafter he went into the gasoline business on his own with Parks Amoco, which he operated for 25 years, retiring in 1997.
On May 7, 2019 Gary was able to join the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. His son, Donald was his guardian. Gary travelled to many parts of the world at the expense of the U.S. Navy. God Bless America and keep us safe were his words of wisdom.
He was united in marriage to Alice McDonagh in Forsyth, Montana on March 2, 1957. They recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Gary was a man of few words. His greatest legacy will be as a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Grateful for having shared his life are: his wife, Alice; children, Donald Parks, Sioux Falls and Mary (Scott) Brennan, Duluth, MN; four grandchildren, Jessica Alice Faulds, Brendan Parks, Tarah (Alex) Hill, Jack Brennan; sister, Sally Egly and a great grandson D.J. Faulds.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Karen Faulds Fratzke and a grandson, Dusty Faulds #23K; sisters, Shirley Miller, Joy Zmolek and brother, Don Mullen.
A Funeral Mass for Gary Parks will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Sioux Falls. Visitation with the family present will be one hour prior to the service. Burial with military honors will be at Woodlawn Cemetery following the Mass.
- Heritage Funeral Home
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