JACKSONVILLE, Ark. – A man tragically killed in Jacksonville is being remembered by friends and family for the kindness and grace he showed throughout his community.
Charles Parliament, 75, of Jacksonville, was shot and killed around midnight on June 17. Jacksonville Police arrested Joseph Richards, who has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
The family of Charles Parliament spoke today about how they remember him and the legacy he had on so many people.
Daughter, Joy Wadley, said Parliament loved to fish, be outdoors, and teach.
She said that he served in the Marines before going to college to get his teaching degree. He taught in
When a friend of Parliament, Toni Mae Dobbins heard the news of his death, she said, “It just took me into a daze. I mean who, why? because everybody loved Charlie.”
Dobbins said she and Charles were friends for 25 years and she first met him at his car lot.
“We had some fun times,” Dobbins states.
Dobbins said she first met Charles at his car lot when she went to buy a car, and that was the last place she saw him just two days before he was shot and killed.
“I had seen Charlie, he gave me some fish, he gave me some tomatoes,” said Dobbins.
Dobbins stated that Parliament had a big impact on people, especially students.
“He always wanted his students to learn and not be dumb as a box of rocks,” said Dobbins.
His daughter, Joy Wadley, said that after his passing, numerous people have reached out to her to tell her stories of how her dad impacted them.
Her favorite story she heard was, “he would leave the grill turned on really low, and leave food there for anyone who might be walking through the streets at night so that they could have some food,” said Wadley.
Wadley stated that her dad’s legacy was to work hard to become better and to be a giver.
“You know to care that much about humanity in general, no matter who you were or what your circumstances were. If he had something and you needed it, he would share with you,” said Wadley.
That is why she is asking the Jacksonville community to do one thing.
“Just pay it forward and remember and just give,” stated Wadley.
