John Parnell

John Michael Parnell of Hillsboro, Oregon and formerly of Beeville, Texas, passed on to the Lord on December 29, 2020 in Houston surrounded by his parents and members of his loving family. He was born on February 19, 1985 in Miami, Oklahoma. John graduated from A.C. Jones High School in 2003 and from the U.S. Naval Boot Camp located outside of Chicago in March 2004. John studied graphic design at the Art Institute of Austin from 2009 through 2013 and his last position was as a board certified pharmaceutical technician for Walgreens Pharmacy Alliance RX.

He was preceded in death by his father, Jeffery Scott Parnell; grandparents, Roland and Grace Beck; grandparents, Tom and Sue Parnell; great-grandmother, Nadine Johnson; and grandmother, Patricia Frabbiele.

John is survived by his mom and dad, Michele and Rolf Beck; his sisters, Kristen (Scott) Kunkel and Paige (Zach) Koff; grandfather, John (Barbara) Frabbiele; nephews and nieces, Justyce, Jade, Isaac, Nicholas, Brayden, Naomi and Ivy; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

John was a loving son with a huge heart toward his parents, sisters, relatives and friends. He inspired everyone who came in contact with him through his friendly personality, his contagious smile, his quirky sense of humor, and his care and concern for others. John was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hiking, especially in Oregon. He was a brilliant "gamer", he loved to cook, play competition billiards and adored his pet Autumn, a corgi/border collie mix that was with him side by side for 11 years. John was active in sports as a youth playing soccer and baseball. He also played football for the Mighty Trojans.

John served in the U.S. Navy from January 12, 2004 through August 22, 2008, whereupon he received his honorable discharge with a rank of AT3. John was awarded the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He entered the service at Fort Sam Houston and served the majority of his time in the Navy aboard the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier stationed out of Yokosuka, Japan. John loved the country of Japan and dreamed of one day living there.

He enjoyed sailing the Pacific visiting numerous countries during his tenure on the ship. John had the dubious distinction of having emergency appendectomy surgery on his 20th birthday while sailing on the Kitty Hawk. He was also stationed in Pensacola, Florida and Jacksonville, Florida.

John was very strong and courageous in his fight against cancer. He rarely ever complained about his situation; he just fought it with dignity, honor and humor. His will to live was incredibly strong and he defied the odds by living through Thanksgiving, his mom's birthday and Christmas before finally succumbing to cancer.

Rolf and Michele wish to give special thanks to John's aunts, Janine DeSoto and Patty Elledge, and his close friend, Mitchell Rivers, all three whom visited John and Michele while he was undergoing Chemo treatment at the Portland Virginia hospital. A big Thank You to John's cousin, Tres Beck, whom helped the family with legal documents and advice. Also, a very special thanks to Jimmy and Patty Elledge and his cousin Erika Marquez for opening their house to John and Michele for four months when his care was transferred to MD Anderson, and then staying at their house while under hospice care.

Visitation will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, January 8, at Galloway & Sons Funeral Home. The funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 9, at First United Methodist Church with Pastor Dean Fleming officiating. John will be buried in the Glenwood Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Robert Beck, Mark DeSoto, Jimmy Elledge, William Peery, Mitchell Rivers and Bryan Campos. Honorary pallbearers will be Roland Beck, Ronnie Beck, Wayne Rivers, Matt Schultheis, Scott Kunkel and Zach Koff.