Calvert O. 'Cody' Parks

Calvert O. "Cody" Parks, 77, died at his home, Sunday evening, April 15, 2007, surrounded by family and friends.

Born on Nov. 14, 1929 in Wingate, Dorchester County, he was the son of the late Robert Joshua Parks and Annie Pritchett Parks.

Capt. Parks was a waterman and a carpenter. At age 13 he began working on the water on his father's skipjacks named the Maggie Lee and later on the Mishap. He worked oystering on the Wilma Lee when he first got married. Later he harvested oysters and crabbed aboard his boat the Nancy Lee and his dovetail boat the Dorothy Lee.

On Oct. 15, 1947, he married the former Nancy Lee Holliday.

Mr. Parks was a boat builder at his Uncle Bronza Parks Boatyard at Wingate and James B. Richardson Boatyard in Lloyds. During his boat building career, he worked on the skipjack Rosa Parks, Lady Katie and Martha Lewis. He had also restored Indian log canoes for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and was part of the team that built the replica of the Dove. Every Spring he and Ralph L. Ruark refinished the skipjack Barbara Batchhelder for Irenee DuPont Jr.

Mr. Parks was an avid fisherman, enjoyed family fishing trips and was awarded at least 30 trophies in local fishing tournaments through the years. He was proud of his family, his vegetable garden, building bird houses and beautifying his home and lawn.

Mr. Parks was a member of the Crapo Ebenezer United Methodist Church and served on the parsonage committee.

Surviving besides his wife of 59 years, Nancy Holliday Parks of Crapo, are three daughters, Angela Parks of Cambridge, Linda Glenn and her husband, Jacque of Bradford, Ind., Debra Parks of Ocean Pines; four grandchildren, Scott Frankel, Monte Brannock, Danielle Brannock Foster, Tabi Shockley; four great-grandchildren, Christopher Frankel, Devin Shockley, Whitney Frankel and Braden Foster; three sisters, Carolyn Armiger of Cambridge, Rosa Pritchett of Cambridge, Doris Abbott of Crapo; a brother, Marvin Parks of Crapo, several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Kathleen Smith, and three brothers Russell Parks, Robert Parks, and Kenny Parks.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Curran-Bromwell Funeral Home, P.A., Cambridge. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, at the funeral home with The Rev. David Wooten officiating at the service. Burial will follow at Dorchester Memorial Park.

Pallbearers will be Scott Frankel, Monte Brannock, Charles Moore, Steve Bloodsworth, J.R. Abbott and Lee Cooley.

Honorary Pallbearers will be William C. Cannon, Roger Morris, Jim Mills and Bruce Abbott.

Memorial offerings may be made to Crapo Ebenezer UM Church, c/o Lisa Morris, 2115 Liners Road, Church Creek, MD 21622.

To send letters of condolences, please visit www.curran-bromwell.com