Parks Ray Goodnight of Butner, NC has passed away at his home after a long illness. He was 82. Known as Bud to his family, friends and colleagues, Parks led a remarkable and fulfilled life. Born in Kannapolis NC in 1929, he attended Cannon High School and Catawba College. In Kannapolis he met the love of his life, Freida Pennell, and they married in 1952. Parks permanently lost his sight in 1953 and attended the Adult Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in Butner. In 1957, he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. Though he remained a Tarheel for life, Parks went on to complete his Masters degree in Education at North Carolina State University. He joined the staff of the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center in Butner where he served as a counselor for 30 years. There, he counseled thousands of individuals, establishing lasting bonds with many. He made life long friendships with fellow staff members, keeping in touch long into his retirement. Professionally, he was honored by his peers for his devotion and achievement in his counseling work. During his working years, he walked to work daily, guided by his Seeing Eye dogs. His dogs were trusted members of his family and were his loving and protective companions. Parks was an accomplished artist having won state-wide awards for his macrame and hand made pottery. He loved music and restoring antique phonographs and furniture. He was an avid reader and read hundreds of books and periodicals on records, tape, and CD. Throughout his life, Parks was fascinated with electronics and radio. Aided by friends and mentors in the amateur radio community, he mastered Morse code then earned his General and Advanced amateur radio operator licenses and his call sign - WB4WRU. He spent countless hours on the air and treasured the fellowship and friendships he enjoyed over the years with his fellow HAMs. He often shared the humor he found in his experience overcoming the obstacles his blindness brought and, throughout his life, demonstrated that the loss of his sight was not the end of his seeing. He was a loving husband, companion, and partner for over 60 years to Freida and a patient, trusting father to his son Randy. Parks is survived by his wife Freida, son Randy, daughter-in-law Bonnie, and his grand-daughters Kaitlyn and Lauren, sister-in-law Estelle Goodnight, brothers-in-law Walter Pennell (Phyllis), Kenneth Pennell (Charlotte), and five nieces and three nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Hubert and Florence Goodnight and his brother Frank. His interment will follow a private service at Carolina Memorial Gardens in Creedmoor, NC. A memorial celebration of his life will be held at 11 am on July 28th at Community United Methodist Church in Butner. Parks' family expresses their deep gratitude to Dr. John Kihm and his staff and to the loyal and dedicated caregivers who gave him such excellent care. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that memorial donations might be made to The Seeing Eye (www.seeingeye.org), P.O. Box 375, Morristown, NJ 07963-0375, or to Community United Methodist Church of Butner, 507 East E St., Butner, NC 27509, where Parks was a member. Eakes Funeral Home of Creedmoor, NC is assisting the Goodnight family.
