MITCHELL PARKS

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MITCHELL PARKS After a life well lived, on November 3, 2004, Mitch died peacefully in his 88th year. He leaves behind his loving son Craig (Franca) and his three granddaughters, Tess, Isabella and Emma. Mitchs two older brothers, Sid and Joe, predeceased him, leaving his younger sister Ruth to mourn his death. He cherished his nieces and nephews, Eliora, Nikki, Kevin, Andi, Jerry, Penny, Ross, Cal, Jeff, Cindy and Josh. He also leaves behind his dear friend Brena Cantor and her entire extended family who "adopted" Mitch into their family. Mitchs wife Norma (Jampol) predeceased him in 1985. Both musical (she a ballerina, he a pianist), they met when Norma was looking for an accompanist for her ballet school. Married in 1940, they shared a love of music and the arts throughout their 45 years together. Mitch was one of the top musicians in Winnipeg for over 70 years. He was just five years old when he started piano lessons with a teacher from Belgium who travelled the small towns of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, including Roblin and Estevan where Mitch spent his formative years. By the time he moved to Winnipeg in the early 1930s, Mitch had already mastered the trumpet and was supporting his family by playing weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, resorts and vaudeville shows. He played with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra when it first started and then had a long career in broadcasting, first in radio, playing live broadcasts at three of Winnipegs four stations, and then in television. Broadcasting opportunities switched his focus back to the piano and he never looked back. From fame as half of the Parks & Burdett piano duo, through early weekly TV series like Cabaret and Red River Jamboree, to writing music for the Canadian content portion of Sesame Street to his best-known "gig" as pianist on CBC TVs Hymn Sing - for 31 years - Mitchs life was all about the music. Over the past few years, Mitch remained active in the community by playing many concerts for the elderly, often accompanying his beloved friend, Rabbi Berkal. Mitch always said that music sustained him. "When I play, I lose all thoughts of bad things. When anything goes wrong I go to the piano", he told the Jewish Post in 1995. Indeed, he lived one year for each of the 88 keys on the piano. Funeral services will be held on Friday, November 5 at Congregation Shaarey Zedek at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mitchs memory may be made to a charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 06, 2004