Derrick Parish

Granbury–Derrick Parish, 77, passed away peacefully after a battle with Multiply Myeloma in Granbury, Texas on Wednesday June 22, 2016.
Service: 11:00 AM, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, Wiley Funeral Home Chapel, Granbury, Texas.
Interment: 2:00 PM, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, Moore Memorial Gardens, Arlington, Texas.
Visitation: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Monday, June 27, 2016, Wiley Funeral Home, Granbury, Texas.
Mr. Parish was born in London, England during the WWII blitz to his parents; George and Rose Parish. His family immigrated to Canada in 1957 and having served in the Air Training Corp, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and served as a radar air tech with the famous 404 Anti-submarine Squadron and trained on systems for the CF-104.
After his military service he joined Canadair who was building the aircraft for Canada and European nations. He was awarded a scholarship by Canadair to Sir George Williams University and earned an honors degree in Mathematics and Physics. He was promoted to staff engineer on the CL-89 reconnaissance drone for the British and German armies and designed the variable altitude and parachute recovery system. He also taught control theory and systems analysis to the customers.
In 1971, Mr. Parish and his first wife, Marilyn, (who passed away in 2003 from Leukemia), along with his daughters Valerie and Tauni, immigrated to the United States where he joined Martin Marietta Corporation in Colorado and worked on the Viking Mission to Mars program, Skylab reboost and Teleoperator System along with a number of NASA programs, including the checkout monitoring Control system and the external booster for the Shuttles as Manager of Contracts.
In 1981, Mr. Parish joined LTV Missiles and Electronics as Director of Materials responsible for major subcontracts and counter-trade and participated in major missile and satellite programs such as Anti-satellite weapon programs, and Army Tactical Missile Systems. He subsequently joined Sierra Nevada Corporation in Reno as Program Manager on programs for the United States Military, Navy and Army.
Derrick met Donyce at LTV aerospace in 1984. They married in 1987. Derrick has two children by a previous marriage, his oldest daughter, Valerie Graves and her husband Mike and their children; Derrick, and Michael of Colorado. His other daughter, Tauni Griffin and her husband Mark and their children; Haley and Sawyer of Boerne, Texas. He also welcomed into his family with Donyce, her two daughters, Monica Elliot, and her husband, Dr. James and their children; Brandon, Caitlin, James, and Brooke of Arlington, Texas, and Tamie Bancroft and her husband Howard and their children Amanda, Kendra, Ashley, Lauren and Casey.
Before becoming ill, he served as a member of the Pecan Plantation Board of Directors. Derrick’s dry English sense of humor will truly be missed; he inspired and challenged us to be strong, self-sufficient and independent. Donyce and his girls stayed by his side until his very last breath. He passed surrounded by love and in peace.