Jack Parrish, former pharmacy owner, dies

When Jack Parrish retired in 1995, he didn't walk away from his lifetime love of helping people.

He simply switched gears, trading one all-consuming passion for another.

After a career in the pharmacy business, he found a new way to help people: He clothed and fed them.

Mr. Parrish, 75, of Chester died Saturday after a lengthy illness. A funeral will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Chesterfield Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home & Cremation Service. Burial will follow in Sunset Memorial Park in Chester.

After 29 years as the owner and operator of Chester Drugs with his wife, Shirley, Mr. Parrish dived into a new line of work. He and his wife began a self-styled ministry of helping the poor.

Mrs. Parrish said they never had any concern or regret. And they never had a problem finding the food, clothing or household goods they distributed.

It wasn't Mr. Parrish's first attempt at helping people in need. A 1990 column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch chronicled Mr. Parrish's effort to fight high prices of prescription medicine.

"We won't get Congress' help unless people know how badly they're getting gouged," he said.

"I'm not so worried about myself because life has been good to me," he said. "But I see some people who can't afford medicine for the whole family, whether they're senior citizens or 18-year-old married couples."

While his letter-writing campaign didn't pay off directly, the idea of selfless benevolence began taking root. When he and Mrs. Parrish started their ministry in 1996, they were ready.

"Good things happened all the time," she said. "It's like Jesus had a path for us, and he showed us the way."

The ministry ended last year when Mr. Parrish became too ill to continue.

In addition to his wife, survivors include a son, Steven Parrish of Chesterfield; two daughters, Kelly Smith of Chesapeake and Tracy Robinson of Henrico; two sisters, Sarah Curtis and Peggy Kelly; and five grandchildren.

Contact Zachary Reid at (804) 775-8179 or .