Larry Parrish

1939 - 2022

November 4, 1939 - July 6, 2022 Larry Parrish, of Rancho Mirage, passed away at home on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. He was surrounded by those he loved best and was peaceful in his departure. Larry was 82 years old and lived in Rancho Mirage for 24 years. He came to the desert in 1992 to serve as Riverside County Chief Executive Officer until his retirement in 2008. A short time later, he returned to the County to serve as interim CEO, a position he also held during times of leadership transition for the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) and the local Cancer Society. He also served on the Boards of the Regional Access Project Foundation and the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians' East Valley Tourism and Development Authority.
Larry's career in public service spanned 40 years and four counties. He began in Santa Cruz as a probation officer. He was hired by Santa Barbara County in 1979 to be the Chief Probation Officer. Eight months later that Board hired him as their Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), a position in which he served until he was recruited by the County of Orange in 1985 to serve as chief executive there. In 1989, Dennis Carpenter & Associates lured him to Sacramento to join their lobbying team; however, Larry's real passion was local government. Two years later he was extremely happy to get the nod from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to return to local government.
Larry was well known as a bright, funny, problem solver of high intellect and great wit. He had a knack for finding and placing good people to serve local communities. He was respected and loved by all who worked with him.
Friends and colleagues describe Larry as a big-picture guy who never lost sight of the details – he could see both the forest and the trees, which is a rare quality in any leader. He believed in the power and the promise of local government to change lives for the better and spent four decades in public service plying his special gift for bringing people together and helping them find common ground. He was well known for a vast catalog of Larry-isms – quick wit, wisdom, and humor, always at the ready to make a pithy point with his special brand of humor.
He loved the ocean and relaxed by vacationing annually in Cabo San Lucas. Following his retirement in 2008, Larry enjoyed traveling up and down the west coast and spending summers at Big Bear Lake in his Fleetwood RV with wife Kathie and Mattie, their Australian Shepherd.
At the outset of the pandemic, Larry and Kathie adopted two kittens to bring love and joy into the house. A short time later, a Mini-Aussie they named Sydney quickly became one of his best friends.
Larry was married to his wife Kathie for 36 years. He is survived by his daughter (Nancy), son (David), friend and ex-wife (Lois) and two grandchildren (Hal and Gabe).
A private service will be held later in the year. Should you wish to honor this life well lived, please send remembrances to the local Parkinson's foundation or the local Alzheimer's Association.