KANSAS CITY, Mo — Family, friends and community members said their final goodbyes to Captain John Parison III last Friday. His two children Cheyenne and John Parison shared what he was like as a father and what carrying on his legacy means to them.
VOICE FOR EVERYONE | Share your voice with KSHB 41’s JuYeon Kim
“It is tough because it all happened so quickly that we’re still trying to wrap our minds around how this all happened. Just taking day by day — somedays I still think he’s here, I text his phone as if he’s still here,” Cheyenne Parison said.
John Parison III passed away after a short battle with stage four, inoperable colon cancer. His passing was considered a line of duty death; he served on the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department for 21 years.
“My father loves teaching, he loves mentoring, and he loves dropping knowledge to others and he found that within this job,” Cheyenne Parison said.
His children call their dad a “tough teddy bear.” He was very strict growing up, but in a long, cuddly sort of way. While he gave long days to KCFD, he never missed a milestone back at home.
“Even though he was tough, I knew that he loved us and I know he meant it when he said it. And I understood it more as I grew up,” John Parison IV said.
While Captain Parison III’s life here on earth was cut short, he was able to enjoy the last week of his life celebrating a few extra milestones. During his own promotion ceremony to captain, he pinned his son to join KCFD upon graduation from the academy.
“Seeing the ICU waiting room filled up, the hallway filled up,” Parison IV said. “His eyes brightened and he woke up a little bit more when he saw all those people.”
The siblings say life without “dad” has not felt the same — they miss his advice, his phone calls and his infamous fried chicken. While they mourn who they used to have, they say they are reminded of their dad’s constant lectures on legacy. It is now their responsibility to go forth in his name.
“He always told me growing up that me and John carry his last name, so when we step foot out in this world, he wants us to always represent his name respectfully and to always honor him,” Cheyenne Parison said.
—
