Robert Wilkins Parham

Robert Wilkins Parham, 88, of Fordyce passed away peacefully into the presence of his Lord and Savior on February 6, with his loving son Rob at his side.
Robert, also known as Bud or Buddy, was born in rural Dallas County, Arkansas on May 25, 1935, the son of Wilkins and Nona (Eaton) Parham.
He grew up in the country, along with his older sister Frances Jean, and loved all things outdoors, including hunting, fishing, and growing a garden full of delicious vegetables. He attended Thornton High School, graduating in 1953. He furthered his education at Southern State College in Magnolia and received his Bachelor of Science in Education and Masters of Science at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Along the way, he met the love of his life Bobbie Ann Green who was selling popcorn at the Sterling store in downtown Fordyce. Robert prayed to God that if He would give Bobbie Ann to him in marriage, he would love and care for her the rest of his life, which he faithfully did. They married on May 31, 1958 and had a son Robert Wilkins Parham, Jr. (Robin) in September 1959.
Robert taught biology, chemistry, physics and driver education over his 38 year teaching career, most of those at Fordyce High School. He had a gift for seeing the potential in his students and was an inspiration to many in their formative years. To this day his former students and work colleagues describe him as “not just a good teacher but a great teacher and a great man.” Even after retirement in 1994 he kept in contact with many of those he had had the privilege of influencing. He would humbly smile when those students wrote him or came back to visit, knowing he had played a role in helping them succeed in their own careers and in life. As a father, he was also a tremendous teacher and mentor to his son, with whom he shared a lifelong relationship that included many great adventures and times of exploring the Rocky Mountains and other parts of the West. Robert was Rob’s Best Man at his wedding and throughout his life. They loved walking in the Parham Woods together where his dad shared many interesting and fun stories of growing up in the country. When Rob married his wife, Kathy, in 1997, she became the daughter he never had, and much to her delight Dad “adopted her as his own”. For Bud and Bobbie Ann’s 50th wedding anniversary they took one of their many bus tours which delightfully included Rob and Kathy. Robert had a delightful sense of humor. Any who shared time with him were the recipients of his fun stories. He was a man of integrity, who displayed the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Robert loved gunsmithing and woodworking, gardening and traveling with Bobbie Ann. (Their very first bus tour was to Alaska!) He was a faithful member of First Methodist Church in Fordyce, where he served as head usher for many years and was involved in United Methodist Men, Lighthouse Beacons, and various committees. He volunteered with the Dallas County Museum Association, Dallas Country and Arkansas Retired Teachers Associations, the Fordyce H.S. Scholarship Committee, and was for several years the Vice President of the Oakland Cemetery Association.
Robert is survived by his son Robert, Jr., daughter-in-law Kathy, four nieces including Linda, Gloria, Virginia and Theresa, and numerous cousins. He was preceded in death by Bobbie Ann in 2017, his sister Frances Jean and nephew Larry.
Funeral service will be held on Monday February 12 at 2:00 P.M. at Benton Funeral Home in Fordyce, Arkansas. Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Fordyce Methodist Church or Oakland Cemetery Association. Arrangements are by Benton Funeral Home of Fordyce. To sign the online register visit www.bentonfuneralhome.net .
Rob and Kathy gratefully thank all the neighbors and friends who have graciously supported Dad and them during this time.