Donald Eugene Parmely

Donald Eugene Parmely

Donald Eugene Parmely, 78, of Billings, Mont. died of natural causes Thursday, Oct. 6, 1944, at 9:41 p.m. in St. Vincent Hospital of Cardiac arrhythm and severe Cornary artery disease.

Services were held on Oct. 13, 1994, at 1 p.m. in Sunset Memorial Gardens in Billings, Mont.

Donald was born May 9, 1916, the oldest son of Archie J. and Bertha (Daughtery) Parmely at Vayland S.D. Don quit school after ninth grade, to help his parent's farm and worked so his brothers could have a better chance to have high school diplomas. His whole family moved to Shawnee/Keeline, Wyo. for 10 years in the 1930's and 1940's. There they farmed, ranched and worked construction at Cuielian Conservation Corp. Camp in Guernsey, Wyo.

Don stayed in Wyoming working on ranches at Wilsons' and Mills' and "Old 77 Ranch" near Lusk. When his parents and the rest of the family moved back to the farm four miles south and one mile east of St. Lawrence, S.D., he settled in Lusk and later married Grace Lawler on March 28, 1944, in Douglas

During World War II he entered the Army and was stationed in Colorado and Texas. In Dec. 31, 1945, after service he came back and moved to a ranch near Lance Creek. There he ranched and worked in gas and oilfields and had a cafe in town. Don worked on construction of Highway 85 with Everett Parmely.

After the blizzard of 1949, Don and his family moved to South Dakota. There he farmed southeast of Miller through the 1950's. Later he went into welding and then worked for Implement Company as a mechanic. He transferred to Carbon Implement Corp on May 20, 1970 in Billings, Mont. He retired here during second quarter of 1981 as a mechanic.

In his retiring years he was a mechanic on Renaults and other cars and hauled wood, until his home burned down Nov, 17, 1992, where he was severely burned. A year later he suffered a possible stroke, his third one. He had strokes in the mid 1970's and 1980's.

Preceding in him death were both parents and five brothers-Clarence, Aury, Jr. LaVern, and Leo Parmely; his third infant daughter at birth and Bertha Strand whom he married on Sept. 11, 1967 in Cody, Wyo.

Survivors are two brothers, Harold and Meryln Parmely of Miller, S.D.; his ex wife, Grace (Lawler) Parmely of Casper (they divorced in March 1963); children born to them-two daughters, Twila (Parmely) Ford and Linda Parmely of Billings, Mont., and three sons, Keith Parmely of Casper, Kenneth Parmely of Idaho, and Kevin Parmely stationed at Ft. Knox, Ky.; and eleven grandchildren; step children. Samuel Gordon Strand of Stevenville, Mont.; Betty Thormahlen of Bridger, Mont.; Carolyn Houseman of Deaver, Wyo.; and Alvin Lee Strand of Minneapolis; and 13 step-grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.; his wife, Della Wilson, whom he married Oct. 8, 1977, of Billings, Mont. and two step-daughters, Shirley Welch of Billings, Mont. and Pattie Willems of Hystham, Mont. and 12 step-grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.

Military services and honors were held at noon, Friday, Nov. 18, 1994, in Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery in Evansville, Wyo.

This was written by Grace Parmely and Twila Virginia Parmely Ford of Casper.

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