The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-12-01
DIR. G. p. Parkill Gone.

I'VE must not wrong the memory of a sainted
man by words of idle praise. WHITTIER.
On Tuesday afternoon, Nov. %, 1898,
OwOssO gave up one of her best men, DIR.
&. Z. Parkill, who after some ten days of
acute suffering, quietly went to rest. his
earthly life yielding to chronic trouble
which for some time had threatened him.
His family who, with DR.. Mccormick,
understood the nature of the trouble so well,
found themselves working with less and less
hope, and for several days it was feared he
could not recover.
DR.. Parkill was born in Lewiston, New
York, December 20, 1920, and was within
a few weeks of seventy-three years of age.
In 1910 he came to Owosso and for more
than half century has been closely identi-
fled with the life and interests of this sec
tion of the state, and even of the state and
nation. His early days in this community
were devoted to clerking, teaching school,
doing the alround work as printer on q
country newspaper, being among the first
teachers in this county, as early as 1912.
About this time he began to study medicine
under DIR j. b. Barnes, which led to his
going to WillOughbJ College in Ohio, where
he graduated i'm his medical studies in 1916,
when he located in the town of Bennington,
entering upon that taxing life of the ply
scan whose practice extended into adjOin-
ing counties, requiring fatigueing rides over
all kinds of roads and through all kinds of
weather; this he did for twenty years, when
in 1865 he came to Owosso and established
the drug business which is now conducted
under the firm name of Parkill & Son.
In 1S4S the marriage of DR.. Parkill with
Miss Adelaide Howe took place, he being
since then joined in his devotion to the
larger interests of his country and his fel-
low men by a good wife-for i'm this man
was found one whose service and life was
genuinely patriotic, so much so that he be-
came pioneer In public movements.
Among the first to organize the temperance
interests, as life long abolitiOnist he,
standing on saw log at the mill on Grand
River road, announced, to union caucu 8,
that all favorable to party organization should
meet at his house; this resulted in the re-
publican party of this section. He voted
for James G. Birney, the Liberty candidate
for the presidency in 1914. In 1856 he
served In the legislature and supported that
famous Michigan senator, Zach Chandler:
he voted for Fremont and Lincoln, passing
full armed into that civil conflict which
resulted in emancipation.
DIR. Parkill held citizenship and religion
lnseparable, as he was first i'm patriotism,
he made all things serve this, hence the
older friends of temperance and of the Sun
day school cause, honor this man for lead
ing of, and standing by these interests from
first to last. 1t was not the furry of inn
petuous enthusiasm, but the service of
noble nature he gave.
This man was scholar and a gentlemen
In matters of the larger welfare of man. His
deep resources were, in an intellectual and
literary sense, unusual. In his reading he
lived in the atmosphere of the heroes of
human liberty-Whittier, Sumner, Phillips,
Garrison and Lincoln. On political and
economic questions he passed away from
the partisan view and took his information
from the fundamental discussions and
treaties of the reviews and magazines.
For half a century he was faithful men,
Der and servant of the Christian church,
always without single flnching at his
post, too charitable to be bigoted. too large
to be sectarian and too faithful to omit duty,
he made himself indispensable. This indis-
pensable quality is best known to the friends
OF the varied interest, such as the union
Sunday school conventions where he was
not only expected but waited for, and more
than all, the Shiavassee County Pioneer