Jere Parrish

Jere Paul Parrish was born on December 24, 1941, in Lovington, New Mexico, the second child to J P Parrish and Gertie Orene Cole.  It was not long before Jere and his family moved back to Talco, Texas, where he excelled in football and track.  He was quarterback for the Talco Trojan football team which made the state playoffs his junior year and was a proud member of the Talco High School Class of 1960. Jere enjoyed many outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing and family get-togethers with cousins, aunts and uncles in Mineola and Quitman.

Jere attended the University of Texas at Austin earning his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1965 and married University of Texas coed and Mercedes, Texas native Nancy Rushton.  Jere worked for Mobile Oil for 1 year before joining the United States Navy where he was commissioned as an Ensign in 1967.  While in the Navy, he was accepted into the prestigious Nuclear Power Program and he worked as an instructor until his discharge as a Lieutenant in 1971.  Jere then began his longtime employment with Shell Oil.  His time there saw him in Exploration and Production leadership positions in the Rocky Mountains, Gulf of Mexico, Southern California, and finally Houston, where he held senior leadership positions in Engineering and Corporate Planning. Jere retired as Divisional President of Shell Services Company.

Everyone who knew Jere knew of his love for fly fishing.  In addition to many family trips to Colorado, Jere was able to enjoy his passion in such places as Alaska, Patagonia, Brazil, Central America, British Columbia, The Bahamas and Florida Keys.  Most of all, he and Nancy were fortunate to retire along the Roaring Fork River in Carbondale, Colorado, where he lived his dream every evening after dinner.  Jere never forgot his Texas roots where he and Nancy kept a home in Rockport, Texas with easy access to some of the finest fishing on the Gulf Coast.  You could never visit either home without seeing a fully rigged fly rod, as Jere was always ready to walk down to the river or canal to cast some dry flies, or just to perfect the loop in his line or load on his rod tip.  He cherished his many friendships over the years whether they were wading the river or on a flats boat, having wine-thirty on the back porch, or enjoying the many philosophical conversations in his office.

Always very humble about his accomplishments, Jere’s greatest love was being with his family.  He was a devoted husband and father who not only lived by the values of hard work, love, and humility, but he instilled those values in his children and grandchildren.

Jere passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 18th, 2020 at his home in Rockport.  He is survived by his wife Nancy Rushton Parrish, his daughter Caren Parrish (John) Vakidis, his son Jon Paul (Kim) Parrish, grandchildren Emma Katherine and Andrew Paul Parrish; Asher Athanase Vakidis; and his sister Donna Parrish (Doug) McKinney. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Barbara Parrish Smith and brother-in-law Jewell T. Smith, and his brother Charles Richard Parrish. The family would like to give a special thanks to his loving caregivers and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Jere Parrish Youth Stewardship Fund:

FlatsWorthy, Inc
ATTN: JPYSF
P.O. Box 279
Fulton, TX 78358

Online condolences may be left at: www.charliemarshallfuneralhomes.com.