Lowell M. Bill"" Parrish, Jr.

Lowell M. "Bill" Parrish Jr., 87, of Farmington, passed peacefully from this life Friday, Dec. 12, 2008, at his home in Farmington. He was born March 25, 1921, in Detroit, Mich., to Blanche Stroud and Lowell M. Parrish Sr. His family later made their home in Shef-field, Ala., where he was raised. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in aeronautical engineering. His early engineering career led him to the northern Rockies where he worked doing seismic oil and gas exploration for Western Geophysical. His entire career from then on was in that industry and he was one of the early oil and gas pioneers of the San Juan Basin. It was during this early career that he met his wife, Valeria "Val" Pawlik, whom he married May 5, 1950. After being married, they followed the new oil and gas boom in Northwest New Mexico, where they made their home of 58 years in Farmington and raised five children. In 1952, he went to work for El Paso Natural Gas Company, starting as a design engineer, where he designed many of the original oil and gas pipelines and gathering systems in the Basin. He was a project manager on the "Gasbuggy" underground nuclear explosion experiment for enhancing natural gas recovery that took place in 1967. He became district superintendent of the San Juan Division headquartered in Farmington for nearly a decade, and later was promoted to vice president, prior to his retirement from El Paso in 1983. Bill also served on the Board of Directors for Citizens Bank in Farmington for numerous years and was a parishioner in both Sacred Heart and Saint Mary's Catholic churches. He was preceded in death by his wife, Val; father, Lowell M. Parrish Sr.; mother, Blanche Parrish; and his sister, Winnie Trousdale. He is survived by his children, Paula Graham and husband, Ben, Kathie Gaddis and husband, Richard, Lowell Parrish III, Anton Parrish and wife, Cathy, and Lari Hyde and husband, Brian. He also is survived by grandchildren, Rhiana Kehrli and Bill, Arwen Gaddis, Chad Ridgley, Nath-aniel, Justin and Jacob Hyde, and Holly and Meriel Parrish; and great-grandchildren, Ryan Ridgley, Paige and Owen Kehrli and another great-grandchild on the way. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Guardian Angel Home Hospice, 4801 N. Butler Ave., Ste. 3000, Farmington, NM 87401, or a charitable organization dear to your heart. Arrangements are with Brewer, Lee & Larkin Funeral Home 103 E. Ute St. Farmington, NM 87401 (505) 325-8688