There is a saying, life is good and then you die. It describes my life. I was born June 2, 1939 to good parents, E. Lamar and Mary Ileen Soffe Parkin and grew up mainly in Bountiful, Utah with three sisters, Lou, Bonnie (Ralph Sampson) and Lyn (Dick Pelton). Dad believed in work and found me my first job at age eight and I do not ever remember not having a job after that.
My family has been a joy and inspiration. My wife, Bonnie Rae Dansie and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1963. She is my best friend and my best investment. We were blessed with four sons who were smart enough to marry terrific wives. (Jeffrey L and Jana Winters, Brett D. and Angela Christensen, Matthew J and Ann Howell, and David S and Jennifer Huntsman) Eventually they all relocated to the state of Utah so our 18 grandchildren could bless our lives with their frequent visits and service.
Our family has enjoyed many activities together including hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, tennis, skiing (water and snow) scuba diving, attending plays and musical events and many more. Being a spectator at many plays, musicals, dances, football, wrestling, rugby, basketball and other events have made me a proud father and grandfather.
My membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always been a blessing. My 2½ year mission to Sweden taught me many of life’s lessons. Later service included callings such as scoutmaster, teacher in various organizations, bishop, stake president and a highlight, mission president in the England London South mission with my wife and nearly 600 of the best missionaries ever.
I made a group of lifelong friends at Bountiful high school (after also attending Davis high). I joined the US Army Reserve and after graduation went to Fort Ord for active duty. I have shared with my sons and grandchildren many of those experiences.
Academics has occupied much of my time and energy. I graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. and M.D.. I served as student body president of the medical school, and formed a special bond with the students in my cadaver group. I attended the University of Washington for internship, residency and fellowship with a M.S. degree in Physiology and Biophysics. I returned to the faculty of the Surgery Department of the University of Utah, eventually becoming chair of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, chair of Department of Surgery and Associate Vice President of Health Sciences. In 2010, I was named an outstanding alumnus of the University of Utah School of Medicine.
I became a fellow of the American College of surgeons, FACS. My research was as principal investigator of the cochlear implant project where the team developed one of the early multichannel cochlear implants for the profoundly deaf. I also worked on the application of lasers in surgery. I stayed involved in local and national professional societies serving as president of the national Association of Academic Departments of Otolaryngology and Society of University Otolaryngologists and Head and Neck Surgeons and was an examiner for years for the board exams for Otolaryngology certification. My surgical practice was also busy and I loved my patients. I prayed for them by name, even silently during surgery. I received inspiration, reassurance and feelings of divine companionship during those times. I enjoyed teaching residents and students. What a rewarding career! I never felt like I was working because I always loved my job.
My career was prematurely ended when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis which became a companion of mine for the rest of my life. Blessings occurred because it did not progress as rapidly as predicted and it taught me many important lessons; some I learned more slowly than others, like patience.
Some would have us believe that science disproves religion and weakens our trust in God; my pursuits in science have been strengthened by my religious beliefs. Faith has provided me with deeply satisfying rewards and a better understanding of the meaning of life. We can communicate with our loving Father in Heaven, experience His love and be trusted to answer someone’s prayers.
I believe in and celebrate the living Christ. His life was real, his ministry was love and charity. His love for us is evidenced daily in our lives as we strive to follow Him and live His commandments. We must learn from Him and follow His example and one day we will again join with Him for the eternities.
To those of you writing my obituary, modify this in any way you choose, knowing that someday I might ask you why…
Knowing that we will see Dad again and be asked “why?”, we will add a few short lines after his:
Dad was a man of integrity. Firmly committed to his family, Dad taught each of us powerful lessons by example. He was a loyal and faithful husband who instructed his boys to respect their mother and all women, to be fiercely protective of their brothers, to make wise financial decisions, to seek higher education and be a life-long learner, and to value the transformative power of hard work. We enjoyed reading and discussing great books. It made us happy to hear Dad tell friends: “I used to give books to my boys, but now they’re giving them to me.”
Dad was passionate about his profession. He loved the intellectual challenge of the operating room and meticulously honed his skills to perform intricate head and neck surgeries. Teaching young surgeons to become competent and confident in the operating room gave him great joy. He transformed people’s lives by giving them the blessing of hearing. One of our favorite experiences is hearing one of Dad’s cochlear ear patients weep as he described hearing his child’s voice for the first time. Dad’s patients knew he loved them. His colleagues appreciated his intelligence, voice of reason, ability to explain things clearly, and talent for unifying a group.
Dad loved his Heavenly Father and showed that love by answering every call to serve. He especially loved his missionaries, and they loved him. Deeply devoted to His Savior, Dad illuminated the beauty of the redeeming power of Jesus Christ in quiet Christian service and through his true legacy of family love. Through his words and life, Dad taught us to love by following the Savior.
We are so thankful for the honorable legacy Dad left us. We will miss his quick wit, sage counsel and brilliant mind. We will miss the gleam in his eye as he spoke of his beloved “wiffy”. We will miss laughing together, traveling together, University of Utah sports, and processing our difficult problems with him. His 18 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, who brought him great joy, will miss listening to his stories and playing Farkle.
Thank you, Dad! We are eternally grateful for your countless sacrifices. We pledge to continue to work hard to make you proud!
Thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped care for our father these last few years: Dr. John Rose, Tevita “David” Makaafi, Aaron Hall, the amazing team at Beehive Homes, Active Hospice and Mike Backman.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 1, 11:00 a.m. in the Parleys 3rd ward at 2615 E. Stringham Ave, Salt Lake City. There will be a visitation at the same location on Friday, June 30, 6:00–8:00 p.m. and Saturday, July 1, 9:30–10:30 a.m. Jim will be interred at Larkin Sunset Lawn, 2350 E 1300 S, SLC. Services will be live-streamed at tinyurl.com/ParkinFuneral
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the James L. Parkin Medical Scholarship which benefits University of Utah medical students. Call the university at 801-581-3720 or send a check to: University of Utah Health, Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 58006, Salt Lake City, UT 84112. Reference scholarship # MD 22418-40165. Your donation is tax deductible.
Dear Bonnie and Family,
We are saddened to learn of our beloved friend's passing, but we are simultaneously filled with joy that we knew Jim as a valiant servant of the Lord and as an extraordinary servant to so many grateful patients for several decades. We are so grateful that he has won the victory over one of life's most challenging contests and he endured to the end true to the faith. We know that a loving Heavenly Father will bless all of you with that promised peace which passeth understanding.
All our love,
Spence and Dorothea
He had a memorable laugh.
Such a wonderful tribute to Jim. I wanted to send my condolences and love to you all. Debbie, Ron and I were fondly discussing our memories of Jim and your family. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Jim is one of our outstanding classmates. We always looked to Jim for leadership, fun, and, he has been an example to us throughout life. His life’s work has blessed many. We look forward to the day we will meet again.
Our love is sent to Jim’s wife and family.
Class of ‘57’
Thank you for being such a wonderful brother. We had quite a childhood together. We were good friends and always there for each other. As we went our separate ways professionally and with our families we were still always there for each other. I appreciated your support these past months as Ralph went through serious health issues. I loved our weekly conversations. I loved our spiritual conversations & we both knew you would always be close to all of your family & mine after you transition into the spirit world. I know God was waiting for you And said Well Done My Good And Faithful Son.
Love you Bonnie
My prayers are with you all and I love you all so much . Thanks for all you do for us. Love and Prayers. Jason
I am very sorry for your family's loss, and truly, a loss to so many.
For about a 10-year span, Jim Parkin was a strong, dependable and welcoming light during the challenging years of change and adventure for me—from being a young teen through to the early years of adulthood. It was people like your dad that I know my mother was grateful for and felt fortunate to have influencing my life during some trying times for us. From being my sensitive scoutmaster and recognizing my need to run down to play basketball in the gym to talking University of Utah sports on Sunday at church, he was a shining light for me. In fact, he was one of the reasons I probably looked forward to coming to the church!
From as early as I can remember, Jim had a dry wit, and his distinct laugh was sometimes accompanied by a straight face until he'd see us crack a smile.
I'll never forget how, on the night after my mission farewell, he and Bonnie hosted an open house for me.
After my mission, Jim asked me to be his financial clerk after he became the first singles ward bishop in the Parley's Stake. I was way out of my comfort zone in that position, but I was thankful that he had trust in me to do it and I'd be working with him. He was patient with me throughout that calling. During that time, I remember how he and Bonnie had a get together at their house during one Super Bowl to give us an alternative to watching the game on the Sabbath. I remember how he loaned me money once and told me just to pay it forward. I was grateful when he became my mom's Stake President.
Later on, Jim would be such a kind and caring doctor to both my father during the time he performed one of his specialty surgeries on my father's middle ear, and another surgery for my brother, Dan. He was always a person for me and my brothers to look up to.
Whenever I would see him in public or when returning to the ward with my mother, I was always greeted by Bonnie and Jim, including after I "finally" became engaged and Bonnie made a special announcement in Relief Society.
My heart goes out to Bonnie and her sons. This cannot be an easy time. Jim was truly a person I looked up to and probably influenced me more than I realize for the types of things I need to remember and for the life choices I've made. Thank you for sharing your husband and father's life with us and for us. I for one am forever grateful.
Janet and I were saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and teacher, Jim Parkin. Jim trained me 1982 - 1985 in ENT-Head and Neck Surgery at the "U." He was a great man who was respected by all of us residents. I am grateful to have been trained under him. We residents spent hundreds of hours with him in his Clinic and in the operating room learning from his skill and deep knowledge of ENT and of life. During one particularly long and difficult case which went late into the night, Dr. Parkin suddenly remarked that we should all be home with our wives instead of there in the OR. He revealed at that moment how much of a sacrifice it often was for him to be away from Bonnie whom he always spoke of with respect and deep affection. After Janet and I got to know Bonnie, we both agreed that the best decision Jim ever made was asking her to marry him. Dr Parkin was deeply admired and trusted by patients, students and staff alike. He treated everyone with kindness, but we all loved when his dry wit surfaced. He will be greatly missed by many, many people whose lives he influenced. Eith deepest sympathy, Paul & Janet Doxey
Dear Bonnie and family, Vera and I were saddened to hear of the death of James and want to extend our condolences. James' and my lives have crossed paths a number of times. We served together in the same district as young men while on our missions to Sweden, we were in adjacent classes at the U of U Medical School and subsequently served together in the North Europe Area as mission presidents. I have always had the utmost respect and admiration for him. Your faith and testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ are certainly a blessing at a time like this, but it still is not easy and we pray that Heavenly Father's love and comfort will be with you. Love, Keith & Vera Ritchie
Dearest Bonnie,
It is now several months since Jim passed away. I just now read his obituary online. I did not know.
Please accept my sincere and loving condolences to you at this time. I am so sorry! Aren’t we so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. This life is definitely not the end which is a monumental blessing.
Greg was just made the Bishop in his ward, Bonnie. His testimony and faith is strong and everlasting.
I now have 6 grandsons, 1 great grandson, and a great granddaughter and another great grandson on the way. They are all the light of my life!
I hope you and your 4 sons and their families are doing well!
I hope Larkin sends this on to you, Bonnie!
Love and many well wishes to you dear friend, Sherlyn