Our loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Preston Woolley Parkinson, departed this life December 15, 2002, at home due to causes incident to age.

Preston was born October 22, 1903 in Salt Lake City, the son of George Chandler Parkinson and Fannie Woolley. He was raised in Forest Dale, which had been subdivided from Brigham Young's Forest Farm. He always appreciated having spent his youth in Forest Dale, attending schools and church there. After graduating from LDS High School in downtown Salt Lake City, he attended the University of Utah, graduating with a degree in civil engineering in 1924.

After working for the Utah State Road Commission for a few years, Preston married Ruth Hampton Bird, daughter of Richard Leo Bird and Hannah Bertha Hampton, on 25 September, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, and the marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple November 3, 1928.

After his marriage to Ruth, he was invited by his father-in-law, Richard L. Bird, to work as an accountant for the Bird and Jex Outdoor Advertising Company. The Bird and Jex Co. was a pioneer in bringing the neon sign company to Utah in 1928. Mr. Jex and Mr. Bird divided the business, and Preston stayed with the R.L. Bird Company, moving into the position of salesman and manager.

He found the outdoor advertising business interesting and challenging, and he particularly enjoyed leasing and purchasing property throughout the state, and meeting with small businesses throughout Utah, northern Arizona, southern Idaho and western Wyoming. He later purchased the company a few years after Mr. Bird's death, and renamed it Parkinson Advertising Company. Preston was active on the Public Relations Committee of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, and did considerable lobbying in Congress and in the Utah Legislature in defense of the outdoor advertising industry. He also served as National Director of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. Preston and Ruth enjoyed many opportunities to travel as a result, and had many lifelong friends in the advertising industry.

He was a member of the Salt Lake Rotary Club. Preston was an active member of the LDS Church, serving on the High Council both of the Sugarhouse Stake and the Hillside Stake. He served as Bishop of the Wasatch Ward from 1948 to 1955. After moving to the Monument Park Stake, his positions included High Priest Group Leader, Stake Mission President, and service in the auxiliaries. He particularly enjoyed serving as a volunteer host at the Visitor's Center on Temple Square. He served as an example to his family in his commitment to church service, sharing his testimony on frequent occasions.

Preston's influence and love of people has touched old and young alike. He inherited his lifelong love of extended family from his mother, Fannie Woolley. This love prompted many family vacations and side trips to see relatives. Throughout his adult life he corresponded with hundreds of family members and was accused of being the perpetrator of family reunions. He was an active member of The Sons of the Utah Pioneers.

Genealogical research was his great love, and he enjoyed informing acquaintances of their relationships to each other and to prominent historical figures. At the instance of the Parkinson Family Organization, Preston visited England in 1984, searching historical societies and libraries for information concerning the Parkinson family before their immigration to the United States. In 1967 he published The Utah Woolley Family, a complete record of the descendants of Thomas Woolley. It is now considered a rare book, as all 2,000 copies have been sold. At the age of 98, in October of 2001, he published his book, Samuel Rose Parkinson Family, Roots and Branches. These books have been appreciated by these two large families.

Preston's love of singing and of music brought pleasure to his family, and until very recently he enjoyed participating in the ward choir. During the last few years of his life, he continued to be seen walking early in the morning, taking fruit from his trees to neighbors, and stopping by to visit those whom he felt needed company. He was active and alert up to his passing. His family gratefully acknowledges Preston's profound concern and love.

He is survived by three daughters: Ann Montague (David), of Auburn, California, Carol Staffanson (Bill), of Sandy, Utah, and Mary P. Millet of Carlsbad, California, as well as 16 grandchildren and 39 great-grand-children. He is also survived by his friend and brother-in-law, Richard Leo Bird Jr., of Salt Lake City, and his close family members, Thelma W. Fetzer of Salt Lake City, Faye Hawker of Grantsville, Utah, and Tyler A. Woolley of Fort Collins, Colorado. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth, who passed away on August 25, 1996.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 21, 2002, at 12 noon, Monument Park Second Ward Chapel, 1005 South 20th East. Friends may call at Larkin Sunset Lawn, 2350 East 1300 South, Friday 6:00 to 8:00, and at the church Saturday one hour prior to services.

Published in the Deseret News from 12/19/2002 - 12/20/2002.