Richard "Ben" Parkes

April 15, 1928- November 21, 2021

On November 21, 2021, Ben, a resident of Keewatin, Ontario, passed away at Lake of the Woods District Hospital with family at his side.

He is survived by Irene, his wife of 71 years, children Rick (Leidy), Susan, and Patti, grandchildren Vanessa (Mike), Geoff, Sarah, Ben (Jess), Rachel, and Sarah (Jared), and great-grandchildren Sofia, Eva, Oliver, and Elle. He was predeceased by parents Beatrice and Philip Parkes, as well as his ten siblings.

Ben was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1928, and moved to the Lac du Bonnet area in 1938. This is where he eventually met his sweetheart, Irene. Here, he drove gravel trucks, before moving to Keewatin in 1956 to work on construction of the White Dog Dam, where he enjoyed a full life with many hobbies, including snow machining, ice fishing, gardening, and woodworking. He was a member of the Lake of the Woods Elks for 41 years and particularly enjoyed the 25 years that he barbecued for the Kenora Bass International. He also belonged to the IOOF, and was a previous member of the Keewatin Legion. He was a corrections officer at the Kenora District Jail for 30 years and proceeded to enjoy 32 years of retirement afterwards. Ben was a favourite uncle among his many nieces and nephews, and could often be found barbecuing and playing cribbage and horseshoes at the Parkes family reunions. Finally, he proudly maintained his licence and continued to drive until the last few weeks of his life; he received his first and only speeding ticket at the age of 90, on his way to one of the aforementioned family reunions.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 pm, December 18, 2021, at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre, cremation has already taken place. In honour of Ben, donations to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, or to the Northern Cancer Fund, would be greatly appreciated.

The family would like to thank Dr. Drake, Char, and the rest of the team at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital for the excellent care they provided him in the past few months.

For current COVID rulings, those attending the service, proof of double vaccination and identification will be required for entry.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brownfuneralhomekenora.com for the Parkes family.