Russell Martin Park, a former Brookville resident, died May
3, 2005 at the Dallas Methodist Hospital from complications of lung and brain
cancer. He was 65 years of age.
Mr. Park was the namesake for the market owned by the Park family in
Brookville, “Russie’s.”
He was born in Brookville on January 27, 1939.
He was the son or Ira and Rosa Park.
He married the former Maria Estela Sanchez on September 2, 1961 at the
Fairfield Air Force Base in Vacaville, California.
He later married Mary Ann Park who preceded him in death.
A graduate of the Brookville High School, he attended
Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster.
He was a veteran of the U. S. Air Force, serving overseas
in Okinawa and at air bases in Texas and California.
He worked for the Wells Fargo Bank before returning to
college at Sonoma State College where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree
in Biology in1868. He was a teacher
until he earned his Master’s Degree in Biology at Idaho State University.
He was awarded a grant to study the mammalian heart at the University of
Kansas. He moved to Chanute, Kansas
where he worked as a food and drug inspector for the state of Kansas for 11
years.
After moving to San Antonio, Texas, he earned his
Master’s Degree in adult and higher education at the University of Texas at
San Antonio.
Before accepting a position at Navarro College, he once was
the road manager for professional pool player “Fast Eddie” Nelson.
Survivors include: Two
daughters, Mrs. Brad (Carmen Lucia) Bright of University Park, Texas and Carla
Luisa Wirths of Wichita, Kansas; six grandchildren and his ex-wife, Estella
Matuk.
Funeral services were held at the University Park United
Methodist Church, University Park, Texas. He
was buried at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery with full military honors.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Sparkman Hillcrest
Funeral home, 7405 West Northwest Highway, Dallas, Texas, 75225.
The family requests memorials be placed with the Navarro College
Foundation Faculty Scholarship Fund, 3200 West 7th Avenue, Corsican,
Texas, 75110.
Source: Jeffersonian Democrat, May 2005.
