Parry, William Robert

William Robert Parry passed away peacefully the morning of June 19, 2022, with his wife Helene at his side. Bill was a loving Husband, Father, Grandpa, Pop, Great Grandpa, Uncle, and friend to all that had the privilege to know him.

Bill was predeceased by his parents, Harold L. Parry and Gertrude (Seeley) Parry, his sisters Meryle E. (Parry) Dodd and Lucille A. (Parry) Hoyt.  

Bill was the youngest of three children, and was born on May 25, 1934, in Blakley, PA. The family moved to Middletown, NY where Bill grew up and found his passion for knowledge and athletics, both which guided his life path.  Bill was an avid high-school athlete making several high school records, particularly in basketball where he and his team were state champs, and Bill was recruited by colleges but was drafted by the US Army. Bill’s aptitude for Math and Science was the reason the Army assigned him to the Signal Corp. In the Signal Corp he was trained in communications, and consequently shipped overseas. Bill’s assignment was to intercept communications during the Korean Conflict.

After receiving an honorable discharge, Bill used the GI bill to attend Clarkson University where he met his wife, Helene Grow, who was attending Potsdam State. Bill saw Helene’s College senior picture hanging in the Potsdam town photographer’s shop, and Bill said, ‘I’m going to marry that girl’, and he did. They married in 1958.  

Bill and Helene moved to Indiana, where Bill continued his education at Purdue University receiving a BS in Electrical Engineering, landing a job with RCA. Bill’s career advanced through various moves to other companies and by continuing his education receiving a MS in Electrical Engineering from University of Rochester. There were two jobs that gave Bill great fulfillment: the first, his job at NASA, working as the Radio Frequency Systems Engineer on the Gemini Titan II project, and the second, working as the Head of Global Operations at Kodak, Rochester, whose responsibilities included opening Kodak manufacturing plants around the Globe. Bill retired from Kodak in 1991.

Bill was a devoted family man. He and Helene had four children: Marcia Gyles, William (Sara)Parry, Maria (Michael)D’Angelo, Daniel (Michele)Parry, 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. 

Bill loved sports and created opportunities for his children and the community children to have opportunities to play sports. He was one of the initial organizers of the Greece Youth Athletic Association (GYAA) for baseball and basketball where he was league president as well as coach for several years. 

Bill was involved with his Church and was the Principle of the Religious Education program. He coached high school CYO basketball. 

For his 10 grandchildren, Bill was a constant supporter of their passions, whether they were athletics, performing arts, robotics, music, or education. His advice was always to, “Study hard and do your best.”   

Friends and family are welcome to join the family for his Funeral Mass at St. John of Rochester Church, 8 Wickford Way, Fairport, NY on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at 10:00 AM. The Mass will also be livestreamed on the parish website. There will be no calling hours.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to  

The University of Rochester Emergency Department or The Macular Degeneration Fund 

U of R Gift and Donor Services 

PO Box 270032 

Rochester NY 14627-0032

Memo Line: 

A06540 or the SMH Emergency Dept Gift Account

A10846 or the Macular Degeneration Fund