Gloconda May "Glo" Parks

Gloconda May Parks—a force of nature from Adamsville, TN, who earned her nickname, Glo, in every possible sense of that word—went to be with her Heavenly Father on Friday, April 25, 2025.

Born September 6, 1939, in Adamsville, TN, she was the daughter of the late Harlie D. and Sadie Marie (Barton) Copeland. She grew up in Adamsville and had fond memories of her time spent as a “river rat” playing with the boys on the Tennessee River. She later moved to Cordova prior to starting high school.

After attending Germantown High School, she became a dedicated homemaker to her family. She was a founding parent at Rossville Academy where she later worked part-time as her children attended the school. After her children were grown, she went on to work at Walmart for over 30 years.

She will always be remembered as someone who never met a stranger, a hard worker, friend, neighbor, devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, a cancer survivor who loved canning vegetables from her garden, indulging in fried catfish near the Tennessee River and backyard dance parties with family and friends. She found immense joy in spending time with her grandchildren – their happiness and success are a tribute to her.

Most recently, she enjoyed playing dominoes, eating fresh home-cooked meals from her son’s garden and visiting with family. A Bingo queen, she passed on her winnings to children visiting the nursing home.

She is remembered for her strength, her compassion, and her generosity—and, yes, for her feistiness we all loved.

Surviving are her children, James Parks and his wife, Tammy, of Williston, Brenda Bomar and her husband, Randy, of McKenzie, grandchildren Tiffany Gray, of Topeka, Kansas, Jerome “Tommy” Gray and his wife, Bobbie, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Suzanne Parks Hurd and her husband, Daniel, of Plymouth, New Hampshire, Jessica Parks, of Rossville, Leann Slone and her husband, Wesley, of Atoka, and six great-grand children.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her younger brothers, Abernathy Boyd and Jackie Wallace.

She is honored in the generations of children, grandchildren, and great-grand children who learned from her example of faith, love, and passion for life and who will carry that legacy on in their own lives.

Friends and family will be received from 10 to 11 A.M. Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at First Baptist Church Fisherville. Funeral Services will begin at 11 A.M. on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at First Baptist Church Fisherville. A private burial will be held at a later date at West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery.

Memorial contributions in Glo’s memory can be made to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude Memorial Giving.