Gary Eugene Parrott

  Gary Parrott passed away unexpectedly the morning of December 1, 2023, at home, of natural

causes. He just missed his 71st Birthday.

  Gary was a retired sergeant with the California Highway Patrol and a former Air Force officer,

with many years of experience writing and reviewing paperwork of all kinds. Additionally, he comes

from a long line of ancestors who had performed patriotic, civil and military service on behalf of this

country since the Revolutionary War. He is also a member of the Mayflower Society as he is a direct

descendant of four of those who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 (Stephen Hopkins, John Howland,

Thomas Rogers and Edward Tilly). He was a member of many Patriotic Ancestry Societies to honor his

ancestors. He was also a member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus. He was

involved in placing over 30 historic plaques in California and Colorado.

  Gary was born at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts, where his father, a fighter pilot, was

stationed after the Korean War. For the first several years of his life, Gary was very “mobile”, residing in

several states before his family settled in the San Francisco Bay area in the 1960s.

After graduation from high school, Gary, attended California State University-Hayward, where he

earned a BA Degree. While in college, during the height of the Vietnam War, he enlisted in the Air Force

Reserves. Upon completion of Basic Training, during the summer of 1973, he qualified for and was

recommended for the Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC). Subsequently, he was attached to the

USAF ROTC unit at the University of California-Berkeley.

  Upon successful completion, Gary, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1975. With the

conclusion of the Vietnam Conflict, he remained in the Air Force Reserves, attained the rank of captain,

and received an honorable discharged in 1989. His military training included the US Army Airborne

Course at Fort Benning, Georgia.

  Upon release from active duty, Gary began, what would become, a successful civilian public

safety career – first as a police officer with the City of Concord, then as a deputy sheriff with the Siskiyou

County Sheriff’s Office, and finally, as a traffic officer with the California Highway Patrol.

  Gary retired in 2004 after more than 30 years of combined civilian and military service to this

country. Two years later, Gary and Lori moved to Grand Junction in 2006, where they both continued to

be active in the community – volunteering their time with various patriotic and service organizations.

Gary joined the Grand Valley Combined Honor Guard in 2008, becoming the commander in 2017. Over

the years he has participated in over 3000 honor Services for our Veterans. Gary is survived by his wife.

  A Catholic Funeral Mass and Honors Burial Service will take place in the spring of 2024.