Merrill Parish (March 28, 1918-October 3, 1985)

Merrill Parish

(March 28, 1918-October 3, 1985)

I was in the Gig Harbor City Center Building no longer ago and I suddenly thought, ‘I wonder how many people know who was the second mayor of the Town of Gig Harbor?’.  Almost everyone knows that the first mayor was a local dentist, Harold Ryan.  Ryan served 9 years as Gig Harbor’s mayor; in June 1955 Merrill Parish was elected mayor.  Parish only served one term as mayor but he lived in Gig Harbor for 44 years.  Perhaps it is time to learn a little bit more about him.

Parish was born in Elba, Idaho, to Asel Bryran Parish and Sarah Ethel Rich on March 28, 1918. He was their first of four children - two girls, Beth and Melba, two brothers, Archie Dean and Lynn.  Unfortunately Lynn died shortly after his birth in 1929.

In 1935 at age 17, Parish moved to Gig Harbor and lived with his uncle and aunt, Frank Parish and Lillie Parish, and their children.  He moved back to Idaho in 1940 where he married Alta Lorene Lord the following year.  With the United States entry into World War II Parish enlisted in the military and was assigned to Fort Douglas, Utah, although he did not receive a branch assignment at time of enlistment.  Later he was assigned to the US Army and he served from 1945 until 1947.  During his service he also served in the Army Signal Corps including time in occupied Japan.

It was then that he and his wife moved back to Gig Harbor.  He took employment at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1948.  In that same year he purchased the Peninsula Dairy Store from Bert Uddenberg and reopened as Parish Economy Market which he owned and operated from 1948 until 1955.  

1955 was a busy year for Parish, he help found McDonald Realtors with Graham McDonald; he and the McDonalds purchased Raft Island, his son, Rex Bryan was born, and he was elected mayor of Gig Harbor.  And he joined with McDonald as co-founder of the Gig Harbor Golf Club and held lifetime membership.  His first son, Patrick was born in 1952.

Although Parish only served one term - June 1955 to June 1960, he was quite active.  He held public discussions on the proposed sewers.  As with any change in Gig Harbor, good or bad, there were very heated discussions on the sewers.  The following year he started a teen curfew without an adult  between the hours of 10:30 pm to 5:30 am to prevent teenage drinking but it was later repealed.  He was also responsible for installing the first street signs in Gig Harbor.  During his term, he (the Town)   rented office space in the Finholm Building on North Harborview.  However the council meetings were held in the Pioneer Electric Building or in Judge Thurston’s office.

Like the majority of men in the community, he was very active in various community organizations:  lifetime member of the Gig Harbor Sportsmen’s Club; Gig Harbor Lions; Past Worshipful Master of John Paul Jones Masonic Lodge; member of the Gig Harbor Ward, Church of the Latter Day Saints, and helped the church acquired the old Lincoln School property at the corner of Dorotich Street and Rosedale Street where they build their new church building.  He also acted a Chairman for several events raising funds for the polio drives.  

Parish’s home was located at 7421 Soundview which was lost in a fire in May 4, 1972.  

Parish died at age 67 on October 3, 1985.  He was survived by his wife, Alta, their two sons, Rex and Pat, two sisters, Beth Ward and Melba Culver, his brother, Archie, and a grandson.  

notes:

• Peninsula Gateway - Page 7A, Oct. 9, 1985 and Page regarding Mayors of Gig Harbor
• Tacoma News Tribune, page B7, October 5, 1985
• Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Library
• Ancestry.com

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.