Mr. Ralph Glenn Parvin, of Vinemont, passed away on February 26 at the age of ninety-two. As was his wish, he spent his last days peacefully at home, surrounded by his family and with his loving wife of sixty-six years, Dean, at his side.
Mr. Parvin was born in Townley, AL, near Jasper, on November 4, 1923. He joined the U.S. Navy as a volunteer in 1942, in the midst of World War II, and was assigned to the defense of the eastern seaboard of the United States. During his naval service after the war, he was selected for the fourth Antarctic expedition of the world-renowned explorer Admiral Richard Byrd.
Mr. Parvin served aboard the USS Mount Olympus as an airedale involved with aircraft carrier operations. His journey to the bottom of the world included violent storms at sea, frigid sub-zero summertime temperatures, and wondrous panoramas of glaciers, icy crevasses, and Antarctic wildlife.
After serving his country for six years, Mr. Parvin was honorably discharged, and he returned to Alabama, settling in Birmingham. While attending Wheeler Business College, from which he graduated in 1950, he met and fell in love with Ava Dean Addison, whom he married in 1949. He was a member of Berney Points Baptist Church and resided in several locations in the greater Birmingham area, including West End and Fairfield. Mr. Parvin spent most of his career working for U.S. Steel; to his coworkers, he was always known for his easy demeanor and quick wit.
Mr. Parvin retired to Vinemont in 1983 to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. He joined First Baptist Church of Cullman and served as a Sunday morning greeter before services for nearly two decades.
In retirement, he embarked on ministerial pursuits, often combining his generosity, Christian faith, and love of good food. Many people shared in the bounty of his summer vegetable and fruit gardens over the years. However, some of his most important work came through evangelical endeavors, as he went on numerous mission trips to build churches across North America, serving as the meals coordinator for the construction crews.
Mr. Parvin also cooked for many other religious and charitable events in Alabama and the surrounding states. Locally, he prepared the annual Thanksgiving dinner for the underprivileged at First Baptist Church and also distributed food and toys to the needy through Cullman’s Christmas Love project.
Mr. Parvin was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest Linwood Parvin, Sr. and Donnie Mae Tate Parvin; brothers, Christy Leon Parvin and Ernest Linwood Parvin, Jr.; and sisters, Nellie Beatrice Parvin Gann and Edith Gwendolyn Parvin.
He is survived by his wife, Ava Dean Addison Parvin; daughter, Karen Lynn Parvin Wyatt (R. Kurry); sisters, Betty Maxine Parvin Jackson, Marie Emogene Parvin McCullar, and Doris Ann Parvin McConnell (Gene); grandson, Nathan Brantley Wyatt (Sharon); granddaughter, Rachel Alison Wyatt Zabierek (Corbett); and great-grandchildren, Madeline Claire Wyatt, Aaron Michael Zabierek, and Vivian Therese Wyatt. They all aspire to his shining examples of perseverance, devotion to family, generosity towards fellow man, and unflagging faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., and funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 29 at Cullman Heritage Funeral Home. Dr. Tom Whatley and Dr. Ernest “Skip” Parvin will officiate, and Gloria Parvin will provide music. A graveside prayer will follow at Cullman City Cemetery.
Cullman Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Cullman County (CRMC) or Gideons International.
