Mark Parris

Waynesville, Mark Douglas Parris, 62, died early Thursday morning, in the company of his family and friends. Mark was a native and lifelong resident of Waynesville, NC. He attended Tuscola High School, and Western Carolina University, majoring in history and anthropology as an undergraduate. He was a social studies teacher and coach of football and basketball at Waynesville Junior High School from 1975 to 1982. He then began a long career in the pharmaceutical industry, working for Lederle, Merck, and finally Thermo-Fisher Dynamic. Mark is survived by his wife of 39 years, Marsh Hyatt Parris, and his children, Benjamin Parris, of Baltimore, and Whitney Parris-Lamb and her husband Chris, of Brooklyn. He is also survived by his siblings, Gregory "Butch" Parris, Janice Parris Clark, James Parris, and Karen Parris Saunders. He will dearly miss his friends Maddox and Beau, with whom he walked daily in downtown Waynesville. Mark was an avid athlete, and a competitive runner and cyclist. He was devoted to his family. An advocate for underprivileged youth, Mark also highly valued the power of education. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 14, 2012 at Wells Funeral Home in downtown Waynesville. Visitation will be held from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages friends to donate to the newly established Mark D. Parris Scholarship Fund, which will contribute annually to the fees and tuition of a Tuscola High School graduate of need, who plans to attend Western Carolina University. Checks may be made payable to Mark D. Parris Scholarship Fund, c/o Suntrust Bank, 135 North Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786.

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