- Date Of Birth: September 7, 1927
- Date Of Death: May 17, 2011
- State: Colorado
b. September 7, 1927 Nashville, TN d. May 17, 2011 Littleton, CO
On May 17, 2011 the family of Leon Parham, 83, whispered their love to him as his earthly life ended. Irma N. Parham, Leon’s wife of 61 years, and their three children, Robert, David and Sharon, knew him as a kind and gentle man, strong and meticulous, who was an accomplished engineer, businessman and Boy Scout Leader. Leon gallantly fought the effects of aphasia until finally succumbing with his family loving him and willing him on to the next part of his life. Leon Parham’s love and legacy lives within us forever.
Dad was such a leader, caregiver and mentor to his children, staying by Sharon’s side when she suffered an aneurysm and willing her to recovery; bringing son David into his business and working closely together for many years; lending support to son Bob’s forays into the sport of auto racing and the startup of Bob’s own auto business.
We loved that Leon helped lead the U.S. into space exploration beginning at the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, MD, before transferring to Martin-Marietta in Littleton, CO. As an aerospace engineer he worked on projects such as Titan rocket engines, Apollo Moon missions, Mars Viking Lander and Skylab.
Leon molded young boys into reliable young men as leader and scoutmaster of two Boy Scout Troops, most notably Troop 114 of Littleton. Leon was recognized by his scouts and peers as an exceptional leader signified by Special Award from the Denver Council. Leon attained membership into the elite Order of the Arrow.
Leon graduated high school in Laurel, Delaware in 1945 and joined the Navy near the end of WWII. After embarking on the aircraft carrier Tarawa for sea trials and a shakedown cruise through the Panama Canal, the Great War ended. Leon traveled cross country by train from the Navy base in San Diego to his home in Delaware. In 1949 while working at the Dupont Company, Leon and Irma met in Galestown, Maryland and they shared their interest in baseball games, the beach and traveling. Marrying on May 6, 1950 they started their family in Baltimore, Maryland where Dad walked to work every day at the Martin Company. His first position there was Engineering Draftsman at the wage rate of $1.40 per hour.
After selling their business in 1989 Leon and Irma embarked on a series of travel adventures together. Many trips to Europe included time in Ireland, England, France, Germany, Italy and Austria. A month long tour of Scandinavia, Caribbean Cruise, Hawaii, Mexico and all around the U.S. were other features of their itinerary.
Leon became a grandfather in 2001 with the birth of Bob & Evette’s daughter Chloe. We have many pictures of Chloe loving on her ‘Pop-Pop’ and she misses him very much.
Leon is survived by wife Irma, son Robert (Evette), son David (Lisa) and daughter Sharon (Robbie), granddaughter Chloe, his brother Doug (Jan), sister-in-law Phyllis Nelson and Irma’s sister Barbara (Jim). Surviving nieces and nephews include Nancy Willis, Guy Watkins (Michelle), Michael Watkins, Mary Reider (Don), Rick Parham (Jessica), Sheila Parham, Jeff Nelson and Danny Nelson. His sister Sue Willis, brother-in-law Jim Nelson, nephew Steven Nelson and his parents Leon, Sr. and Margaret preceded him in death.
For his memory we have chosen the Eagle to symbolize Leon’s love of outdoors, his dedication to scouting and to the knowledge that he is now flying free.
