George Anthony Parish, Jr., "Tony," was born on September 17, 1942 in Charleston, SC to George A. Parish, Sr. and Dorothy Baldwin Parish, and passed away on August 25, 2014 with his loving family by his side. He was raised on beautiful Yonges Island, SC and attended St. Paul's High School in Hollywood, SC where he graduated in 1960. Tony went on to attend Clemson University from 1961 to 1964. He joined the Army Reserves in 1964, attaining the rank of Staff Sargent. In 1965, Tony married Sarah Scott and moved to Atlanta, GA. There he attended Georgia State University and graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a major in Finance. Tony and Sarah had two children, Ashley (1974) and Anthony (1976). Tony married his forever wife and partner Frances Dobbs in July 1986, with two children, Lisa (1969) and Tami (1978).
Tony's memorable career with Hewlett-Packard (HP) started in October 1978 in Huntsville, AL as a credit specialist reporting to Frank Derriso and P.K. Weire. After two years, he moved with his family back to Atlanta still working for HP as a credit specialist now working for Milo Kincaid. Tony was promoted to Branch Business Manager working for Boyd Orr, and then later Niles Howard. He then worked for Bob Poore in Region Operations. In 1995, Tony went to work for Tom Juliana at HP as a Southeastern Region Facility Operations Manager. He retired from HP in June 2002 after a very long, successful tenure with the company.
Tony leaves to carry his legacy of great compassion and laughter his beloved companion, confidant, champion and wife, Frances Parish, and his adoring children and grandchildren: Lisa Vincent (husband Joey, and children Peyton and Ellie) of Ball Ground, GA; Ashley Vandiver (husband Webb) of Tucker, GA; Anthony Parish (fiancé Marla Olivier) of Sandy Springs, GA; and Tami Rossano (husband Michael and children Gabriel and Tyler) of Rincon, GA.
Tony's love of life and respect for all will always be remembered by those he touched. His warm heart and infectious presence made each and every person he encountered feel important. Tony was a man of amazing integrity and strength that appreciated life with each and every breath. He adored his family and friends and always made it a priority to ensure they knew how much they were loved by him. Tony will never be forgotten by anyone he met, and his legacy will live on through the warm memories of laughter and love he spread to all those he embraced.
A memorial service in his precious honor will be held at Darby Funeral Home in Canton, GA on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. preceded by visitation with family from 12:00-2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Tony's wishes were to have donations made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.