Jean Burrell Parks

Jean Burrell Parks was born on February 20, 1960 in Somerville, NJ to Donald S. Burrell and Grace Palmer Burrell.  When she was 10, the family moved to Birmingham, AL, where she graduated from Mountain Brook High School in 1978.

She entered Sewanee: The University of the South as a freshman in the Fall of 1978.  That winter, she met Leonard C (Lee) Parks, Jr. on the night that the semester resumed which began a 42+ year relationship.  A competitive swimmer, Jean joined the men’s swim team at Sewanee as the University did not have a women’s team.  She started on the swim team for 3 years, became the first woman in Sewanee history to earn a varsity letter in swimming, was elected captain of the swim team her senior season, qualified for NCAA Division III Nationals her senior year in the 100-yard backstroke (her signature stroke), and was part of the team that held the men’s school record for the 4x100 IM relay for several years.  She also was a charter member of Alpha Delta Theta sorority, one of the first 4 sororities (all local) to be established on campus.

After graduating from Sewanee in 1982 with a BA in Economics cum laude, Jean and Lee were married in Birmingham and moved to Athens, GA, where Lee was in law school.  Jean worked in the real estate department at the firm of Fortson, Bentley & Griffin.  After Lee graduated from law school, they moved to Lee’s hometown of Gainesville where they had a daughter Beth in 1988. In 1984, after moving to Gainesville, Jean was hired as the first employee at Eagle Ranch. This position was ultimately designated Executive Administrator and was the position she held at the time of her death. During most of her tenure at Eagle Ranch, Jean also served as Secretary to the Board of Directors and was responsible for coordinating their annual golf fundraiser.

Jean was an active member of Grace Episcopal Church, where she was a member of the Daughters of the King, a member of the Vestry on more than one occasion, a former assistant EYC leader, a graduate of the EFC program, and an active volunteer in many of the Church programs.  She was a former member of the Phoenix Society, through which she volunteered at the Window Shop at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center.  She also was a Girl Scout leader for several years of her daughter Beth’s troop and frequently volunteered at Gainesville Arts Council performances.

Jean is survived by her husband, Lee, her daughter, Beth, her father-in-law, Leonard C Parks, her-brother-in-law, Bill Parks and his wife, Julie Parks, her sister-in-law, Christine Parks Murphy and her husband, Michael Murphy, 2 nieces, 4 nephews and 1 great-nephew. 

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to: Eagle Ranch, PO Box 7200, Chestnut Mountain, GA 30502.

Memorial services will be held Friday July 30, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church.  Father  Stuart Higginbotham will officiate. 

Those wishing to send online condolences to the family may do so at littledavenport.com

Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crematory, 355 Dawsonville Highway, SW, Gainesville, Georgia  30501 is in charge of arrangements.