Thomas Parkhill

Thomas Parkhill III passed away peacefully on November 9, 2014 at the age of 68.
He was born in Los Angeles, CA on August 14, 1946 to Thomas Parkhill Jr. and Virginia Joseph. He was the second eldest of five siblings, Patricia Montanez, Kristine Lovell, Kathleen Higdon (deceased), and Charles Parkhill.
Tom graduated from Bishop Amat Catholic High School in La Puente, CA and was a Latin Mass altar boy. He loved the beach and body surfing, and excelled at sports, including basketball and football, with skills he was happy to pass on to his younger brother Charlie. After high school, he attended Cal State Los Angeles and joined the Army Reserves, where he became an expert marksman and worked in "psy ops." After an honorable discharge, he worked for Continental and American Airlines where he developed a love for travel while crisscrossing the world, including skiing in Austria and touring Germany, Lebanon, India and many other countries.
Living in Hermosa Beach, CA, he attended law school at Valley University School of Law and worked as a court crier (bailiff) for Federal Judge Albert Lee Stephens Jr. There, he and several friends founded the 232 fishing club, where they forged strong lifelong relationships on annual fishing trips over more than three decades. It was also around this time that he and some partners created the Pass the Pigs game, which is popular to this day. He graduated with his Juris Doctorate in June 1978.
He married Sheila Theresa Schreiber (who he met in law school) on December 28, 1978 and they spent more than 35 happy years together. The next year, they moved to south Texas to work with his father in the family construction business, Parkhill Construction. He built many homes, commercial properties, subdivisions, banks, schools and multi-residential investment properties. Later, he moved to Arizona and Colorado, where he worked as a construction project manager on multiple projects, including a youth correctional facility, which he also ran for a period of time.
He was a devoted member of the Roman Catholic Church and enjoyed serving the Lord in many church callings throughout his life, including fundraising for Catholic schools and co-founding the Holy Family Society.
His many unforgettable qualities are illustrated by the following statements from his friends:
"Saturday night the world lost a marvelous special man. His life was never about him, it was always about others. He had an unending love for Sheila and all their children. He had the strongest devotion to his faith. While he was a fabulous chef, he was an avid outdoorsman. He always entertained a positive view of life. He was on the A-team. Whatever the task, he got it done. He was a patriot and loved his country. Although I never saw him do it, someone said he could sell a block of ice to an Eskimo in a blizzard. Last, but not least, he preferred barbequed ribs over baked trout. Good-bye, my old friend. Thank you for your fabulous friendship. God will always bless you." - Tom Banks
"Tom always represented to me the best that humanity could offer, and I will miss him. His faith, his love of family and country, his decency and humor...all were gifts without equal.he was always at the top of my very short 'good guy list'." - Eric Urbahn
"He had a personality and wit which made him well liked by everyone." - Bob Hess

"I held Tom in high esteem." - Phil Orbanes

".he was loved by everyone he came in contact with." - Virginia Newton

"He was simply one of the most formidable people I've known and worked with. Tom's construction legacy will continue to support lots of Colorado youth every day... May you fully recognize without question that Tom successfully made a difference with his life. I admired his total commitment to his faith. If anyone has made it to heaven, then Tom is there too!!" - Jerry and Cindy Adamek
"Tom was a person of enormous charisma and talent who had such a winning way, a rare gift." - Norman Davidson

"With God's grace, you were lucky to be able to spend your adult life with Tom. Now he is in heaven, in God's presence." - Peter Nolan
Thomas is survived by his wife, Sheila, five children: Bernadine, Mark (wife Nicolle), Bradley (wife Sandra), Thomas IV and Gregory; eight grandchildren: Cameron, Melissa, Christina, Lauren, Matthew, Nolan, Natalie and Jillian; one great-grandchild: Gabriel; numerous extended family and countless friends. and four furry friends: Boots, Pixie, Gizmo and Cuddles.
Visitation will be held Friday, November 14, 2014 from 6:30 pm to 7:15 pm and Rosary at 7:30 pm at Charles Smith & Sons Funeral Home, 601 S Tennessee St McKinney, Texas.

The Funeral Mass is at 11 am on Saturday, November 15 at Mater Dei Catholic Church, 2030 Texas Hwy 356, Irving, Texas.

He will be laid to rest at Pecan Grove Historical Cemetery, 1701 South McDonald St, McKinney, Texas immediately following the Funeral Mass.
In lieu of flowers, if you wish, please consider making a charitable donation in honor of him to one of the following of his favorite charities: Sudan Relief Fund http://www.sudanreliefund.com/, Priestly Fraternity of St Peter http://fssp.com/press/contributions/

Following the interment at Pecan Grove Cemetery, there will be a reception for family and friends at The McKinney Performing Arts Center formally The Historic Collin County Courthouse 111 N. Tennessee St. McKinney, TX. 75069 (972)547-2650.