Norman Ray Parrish

1934 - 2026

Norman Ray Parrish, 91, of Bardstown, passed away Thursday January 1, 2026 at his residence. He was born April 20, 1934, the son of the late Ray A. and Mary Evelyn Parrish.
Norman went to Bethlehem Grad School and graduated from St. Joseph Prep School in 1952. After two and a half years at the University of Kentucky, Norman volunteered and went into the Army for a three-year term starting in December of 1955. After basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, he then went to the Signal School at Fort Mammoth in New Jersey in March 1956. After completing the Ordinance Electronics Course on June 8, 1956, he was sent to Ordinance Guided Missile School at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The first school was two weeks and was in Guided Missile Internal Guidance Systems Repairs for the Corporal Guided Missile, this was a Ground to Ground Missile. He completed this ten week course in September 1956. The second school at Huntsville was a 10-week course in Guided Missile Doppler Radar Systems Repair for the Corporal Missile. He graduated TOP of his Class of thirty enlisted men and officers. In late March, 1957 he went to work in the Missile Maintenance shop and completed his tour being discharged on December 10, 1958, with a rank of Specialist 5.
Norman returned to Bardstown and started working with his Dad, who had just bought a concrete block plant in Bardstown. His Dad was also a General Contractor. Sometime in 1964, Norman took a home course in building, estimating, and contracting and graduated in January 1965 from American Technical Society, in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating and completing this course, this set the stage for twenty-five years of working in the building trades both as supplier and a general contractor. The company that was created, was Ray Parrish and Sons.
Don Parrish (Norman's brother), ran the Concrete Block Company and Norman Ray Parrish and his Dad worked in the general construction. In 1985, Norman left the company and went out on his own and formed NRP Construction and owned his own company for 10 years and retired in 1995.
Norman's hobbies were fishing and restoring old antique hit and miss gas engines. The fishing started with Dad in grade school and never stopped. The gas engine hobby started in 1982 and never stopped. The oldest engine restoration that Norman completed was a 1897 engine built by two German brothers on Manhattan Island, New York City. The engine was a two stroke diesel engine and ran like it was NEW! After working over thirty years in this hobby, Norman probably restored over 150 engines, water pumps, air compressors and other engines associated items. All of Normans close friends are tied to this unique hobby.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 59 years, Anna Lee Parrish; brother, Donald Parrish; nephew, Glen (Jackie) White; and three nieces, Vicki White Hobbs, Katy Parrish, and Carolyn (Joe) O'Toole.
His funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, with burial in Bardstown Cemetery.
Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, and 9-10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Barlow Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may go to Hospice of Nelson County or St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Barlow Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.