William "Bill" Parizek
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William (Bill) Parizek, age 50, of Tallahassee, Florida, passed away September 2, 2021, following a brief illness.
He is survived by his wife, Lonnie Loescher Parizek, their children Alan (23) and Kaylyn (20) Parizek, his sister Cynthia Arnold (Jack) of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, and his parents, Vern and Faye Parizek of Ashland City, Tennessee. He was predeceased by his Grandma and Grandpa Palmer and Paba and Gram Huff. Bill's surviving family members are comforted that he will be well met in heaven. As "Grandmaster Fork-Fighter" for the last piece of Grandma Palmer's chocolate cake with white fluffy frosting, Bill will enjoy the one she's sure to make him to have all for himself. Of course, his Gram will provide a big glass of cold milk and ask for stories about her great-grandchildren.
Bill was born on October 7, 1970, in East Point, Georgia. Always close with his Gram Huff, they both loved to tell the "pudding" story. Bill was about 3 years old and sitting in the backseat of the car on the way to a long-forgotten function. His mother had set a casserole dish of banana pudding on the floorboard beneath his feet. During the drive Bill accidentally stuck his foot into the pudding and cried, "Mama's gonna kill me, momma's gonna kill me; I stuck my foot in the pudding!"
When Bill and Cindy (his little sister) were around 8 and 5 respectively, they were playing outside the front entrance of a restaurant, as bored children do when waiting on their mom. Apparently, the chosen game was one involving pirates, because Bill declared, "I'm Captain Hook and you're Peter Pan!" to his sister and grabbed her arms and dangled her over a holly bush to prompt "Peter Pan" to submit. Unfortunately, "Captain Hook" lost his grip and Cindy fell face first into the holly bush. Thankfully the only scars were emotional ones, and it became an inside joke between the siblings over the years.
Bill was valedictorian of his class at Campbell High School in Fairburn, Georgia, where he lettered in basketball and cross country and was a key member of the academic bowl team. He went on to attend Auburn University on a scholastic scholarship, which was fitting since he never believed in paying full price for anything. While he was thrifty and believed in haggling to get the best possible deals, he was generous to a fault and would gladly give you the shirt off his back - which was sure to be an Auburn shirt, as that is the only kind he owned.
In between earning a bachelor's degree in public relations and communications with a minor in journalism, he managed to convince a normally sane and smart woman (Lonnie Loescher) to marry him. Lonnie may have been blinded by his mastery of over-the-top fireworks displays, but a more likely reason was that once Bill found something or someone he liked, whether hobbies or the love of his life, he always gave it his all.
Bill worked at Domino's Pizza to support his new bride, if not with money at least with free pies, while they finished college together. After living in Fairburn, Georgia, for two years post-graduation, he and his wife settled in Tallahassee, Florida, where they raised their two children whom he loved more than the Auburn vs. Alabama rivalry.
Bill was competitive by nature and whether playing or coaching, Bill was passionate about sports. He coached his church softball team as well as his kids' Upward Basketball teams and, truth be told, he probably spent more time coaching his beloved Auburn Tigers through the TV than their actual coaching staff. It would be nice if the athletic department would send him a posthumous check for all his efforts.
Bill was a movie aficionado and family members would often carry on entire conversations with him by quoting movie lines. One of his favorites was from Kicking and Screaming; "Meat comes first," he would say anytime we needed to be reminded to keep our priorities in order. He always put family first and recently spent large chunks of time in Tennessee caring for his parents. During that time, he strengthened his relationship with his sister and got to spend time with his niece Alice Faye. Bill would find little games or chores for Alice to do and then would reward her with $2 cash notes. He joked that he wanted her to think of him as Uncle "2 dollar Bill".
While he had a larger-than-life presence and made a lasting impression on everyone he ever met, his idea of a perfect day was subdued: a rainy day at the beach where he could sleep in and then cuddle on the couch with the wife and kids watching movies and getting his feet rubbed. Always an exceptional host, we are certain that Bill is hard at work preparing a place for his loved ones to join him in heaven in due time.
A celebration of Bill's life will be held at Epiphany Lutheran Church on Deerlake Road in Tallahassee, Florida, on September 18, 2021, at 10 a.m. The service will be followed by a reception lunch at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial donations to his favorite charity, Frontline Missions, Inc, located at 5600 Short Rd., Fairburn, Georgia, 30213, or online at fmusa.org.