William H. Parks

Business Owner and Civic Leader

William H.Parks,85, passed away January 23,2013 in his Wyomissing residence.

He was the husband of Joyce "Barney" L.(Barnhart) Parks to whom he was married for 56 years.

Bill was the son of the late William Parks and Mary (Feeser) Parks.

He was a graduate of William Penn High School and Penn State University.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp. and served during the Korean War.

While at Penn State, he was a member and president of his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

In 1962 with partners Richard Wertz and William Hoffman they founded the real estate firm Wertz Hoffman Parks. They were in business for 37 years.

Bill was active in the community, serving as Chairman of the Penn State Advisory Board. He taught Real Estate courses at Berks Campus. He was a past president of the Greater Reading Board of Realtors,and of the PA State Board of Realtors and served as director of the National Association of Realtors.

Other community affiliations include: President of the board of trustees for both Community General Hospital and for the Caron Foundation. He was vice chairman of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and of the 1975 United Way campaign. Bill was a board member of: the Berks County YMCA, Berks County Chamber of Commerce, Wernersvile State Hospital, and the Berks County YR Club. He was also active in the Reading Jaycees.

He was a long-standing member of St. James Church, West Reading where he was a deacon and elder.

He was an enthusiastic Penn State fan and an ardent admirer of Coach Joe Paterno; also an avid bird watcher in Berks County and beyond.

For 25 years, Bill was the anonymous letter-writing Santa Claus to hundreds of Berks County children, answering their letters on hand written and personalized stationary.

Bill had a zest for life which was contagious to others. He was a loyal and trustworthy friend.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Beth A.,wife of Bradley S. Poore, Wyomissing Hills; Brenda L. Krill, Sinking Spring; and Lynn E., wife of Dr. Michael Cohan, Brattleboro,VT.; five grandchildren, Jenna and Erin Poore, Andrew and Sarah Krill and Alex Cohan, and great grandson Codie Krill. There are 3 sisters, Claire Aston, Gladys McNaughton and Debbie Rabuck.

He was predeceased by two sisters, Lorraine Parks and Madelyn Williams.

A Memorial Service will be held Tuesday, January 29th at 11:00 am in St. James Church, 644 Penn Ave., West Reading, PA 19611. Friends may call from 9:00- 11:00am. Burial will be private in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, 1700 Hawk Mountain Rd., Kempton, PA 19529 or Caron Foundation, 243 Galen Hall Rd., Wernersvile, PA 19565. Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., West Reading is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhome.com.