Lonnie Gerald (Gerry) Parchman

Lonnie Gerald (Gerry) Parchman, 73, of Riverton, N. J. died Dec. 21, 2011 at Cooper University Hospital. He was born April 17, 1938 in Hunter, Ark. Preceding him in death were parents, Lonnie and Helen Parchman, and sister, Barbara Parchman Harrison. Survivors include his sons, Travis and Eric Parchman; their wives Kimm and Natalie, and two grandchildren, Dylan and Landon; his sister, Linda Parchman; nieces, Jenni Duncan and Laura Harrison; great and great-great nieces and nephews, and partner, Kenneth Goggins. Graduating from high school at Brinkley, Ark. in 1956, he went on to Georgia Tech and Hendrix College where he earned his BS in 1960. He was awarded an NSF Fellowship to Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. and earned a PHD in biology. He and his wife, Betty Rutland Parchman, were active in the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta at that time. He also completed postdoctoral work at universities in Illinois and California, taught cell biology at the University of Delaware and completed biochemistry research at Temple University Medical School. His primary career was that of drug consultant and conducting clinical trials with pharmaceutical companies, GlaxoSmithKline and Takeda America. Besides a long-term passion and addiction for genealogy, Gerry was an avid learner. He researched and taught various topics, including early Christianity, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Philadelphia, Pa., where he was a member. A memorial will be held there January 14, 2012. A memorial service will be officiated by Rev. Jenni Duncan at 11 a.m., Jan. 21, at FaithSpring Church, 501 S. Bowman, Little Rock.