Hey kids,
Wow! What a great weekend. Mommy and I went to Daytona Beach for a rock concert. We saw Metallica, The Offspring, and Disturbed. We had so much fun! You guys stayed with LeeLee and Papa, went camping and swimming! You guys had so much fun too. Mason did so great swimming in the pool.
Your mother and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. We’re getting so old! Haha
Love you guys! Dad
Kids, your cousin Fritz Parman died in a car accident Friday morning while he was on his way to work.
I wasn’t super close to Fritz, but I really liked him. Besides being super friendly and funny, he was just cool. He was a cool guy, a man’s man. He owned tire stores and was huge into sports. He was a Florida Gator and a Jacksonville Jaguar fan among others. He was just always fun to be around. I always enjoyed spending time at his house growing up.
More importantly though, he was the corner stone of a gigantic, loving family with seventeen immediate family members. He was the son-in-law, husband, dad and granddad that held it all together. The side of the family that I’ve known since I was born is Uncle Bill & Aunt Betty, Vicki & Fritz, Quinn, Reed and Kelsey. That’s who I’d see when I visited Jacksonville as a child some 30 plus years ago. That number has grown now in years past to include spouses and grandchildren. He’ll be sorely missed by dozens and dozens of family members and countless friends.
At first, it seems the Parmans have been dealt an incredible blow, and they have in a way. But then I think of all the time they got to spend with such an incredible man, and how lucky and grateful we should be that such men lived. Fritz was incredibly smart and generous. He was loving and caring. All of his children have nothing but incredible things to say about the type of father and leader he was. The most tragic thing about it is the timing. Nobody’s ready for that.
I believe Reed said it best –
“Fritz Parman would never have wanted a lengthy description about who he was as a business owner or what his hobbies were because those were secondary to him. He would want to be known for what he was to Vicki, Quinn, Kelsey, and me: an adoring husband and an incredible father. For our mom, he was a best friend, a teammate, a forever date. For us kids, he always listened to us and supported our choices. He let us make mistakes and was there to guide us toward answers. Never making them for us, letting us fail if failure was needed. He supported us as no other Dad could have.
There won’t be another Fritz Parman at Big Chief Tire. The great ones don’t need to be replaced. They leave so much of who they are in the hearts of every person they encounter. Dad, you did that. There isn’t a person you interacted with that isn’t somehow better just by knowing you. We know you will continue to lead by the example you’ve set for us all.
Everything we do, Dad, we will work to honor you.
We love you. We’ll see you again.”
—Reed Parman
I agree with almost all of that. The great ones do need to be replaced. Everyone benefited from experiencing him. He made the world a better place! The problem is – you can’t. You can’t replace men like that. There will never be another Fritz III. But there is already a Quinn, a Reed & a Kelsey, and if Fritz made the impression I’m sure he did, they’ll all be just like him given the time. Reed may not see it now, but he’s destined to fill his dad’s shoes. Reed’s lineage proves that to me.
One of Reed’s great grandfathers, Bob Kornegay and great grandmothers Murrel Kornegay (my grandfather and my grandmother too) were both incredibly loving and kind. There wasn’t a single mean bone in Grandmother’s entire body. Reed’s grandmother, my Aunt Betty, is the second most kind and loving person I’ve ever met in my entire life – (second only to Grandmother). I’ve never met someone as dedicated to caring about other people as she is. That obviously rubbed off on Vicki. She’s just like the great women before her. (That and because of who she chose as a partner for life – someone as loving and caring as the men that raised her). Marry those incredible women to Bill Atkinson and Fritz Parmen, and you end up with Quinn, Reed and Kelsey. That’s why I say Reed’s destined to fill his dad’s shoes one day. All the men and women that made him were great.
It won’t come easy or quick. It takes dedication and time. Dedication to the memories of Fritz and spending time with family. But your family tree will help get you there. All you have to do is stay true to the Parmen’s and Atkinson’s that came before you.
Rob Kornegay
S.M.U.R.F. 