Joseph Downey Parkinson – Safety Harbor, Fla., Formerly of California, PA.
Joseph Downey Parkinson, 77, died on May 5, 2020, in Safety Harbor, Fla., due to complications from COVID-19. Joe was born on March 10, 1943, in California, Pa., to Dr. Thomas H. Parkinson and Constance Mabel Edwards Parkinson. He graduated from California High School in 1961, where he played basketball and football. Joe married Ada Venaleck in 1966. They were married for 30 years and had three children. He had a storied career that spanned more than four decades, from chemistry teacher to postal inspector, senior probation officer and criminal justice professor. He was a past president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Buffalo Chapter and a member of the National Rifle Association. Joe was a 3rd degree Mason with the Monongahela Valley Lodge 461 in California, Pa., with 50 years of membership. Joe was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Thomas H. Parkinson, of Asheville, N.C. He is survived by a sister, Leslie Parkinson; three children, Dr. Joseph W. Parkinson and wife Bridget, Jo Dee McVea LaBombard and husband Charles LaBombard and Anne Theisen and husband Thomas Belden; and five grandchildren, Jonathan Blasco, Madison McVea Press, Rylee McVea, Hannah Theisen and Tyler Parkinson. Burial services will be private. Interment will be alongside his parents and his brother in Highland Cemetery, California, Pa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Police Benevolent Association or other charities supporting law enforcement, or to charities supporting victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arrangements handled by MARISCOTTI FUNERAL HOME INC., 323 4th St, California, PA 15419, 724-938-2210. To leave condolences, please visit https://www.mariscottifuneralhome.com.
