Clarence Robert "Sonny" Parkins

1935 - 2025

He was born October 10, 1935, in Nitro, West Virginia, the eldest son of the late Clarence and Madeline Brown Parkins.

Clarence ("Sonny") Parkins was a local basketball hero, setting still-standing records for the Poca High School "Poca Dots" before continuing his basketball career at Marshall University. There, Clarence played in the "Thundering Herd's" first-ever appearance in NCAA tournament in 1956. After college, Clarence served in the U.S. Army for two years in Niagara Falls, New York where he met and married his wife of 57 years.

Clarence went on to succeed in business, working for Dun & Bradstreet and Genuine Parts Company. He then owned two NAPA Auto Parts stores in Santa Monica and Oxnard, California. He later moved to Sacramento, California where he became President of the California Automotive Wholesalers Association. In Sacramento, he also became dedicated to the mission of the Rotary Club International. He was a proud member of the Rotary Club of Rancho Cordova, #5180, where he served as President and went on to serve as District Governor for the Sacramento region.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Sallie Coe Parkins and his brother Ranson Keith Parkins. He is survived by two children, Debbie Palaski of Burbank, California and Donald Parkins of Lewes, Delaware. He is also survived by his sister Ann Parkins Zani (Bill), grandsons Adam Palaski (Jessica), Joseph Palaski, and Andrew Palaski (Hannah), four great-grandchildren, his nieces and nephew, and many cousins.

A memorial gathering will be held in West Virginia in the spring of 2026. He will be buried alongside his wife and parents at the Parkins Cemetery in Paradise, WV. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in Clarence's memory to the Rotary Foundation, 14280 Collections Drive, Chicago, IL 60693, or online at https://my.rotary.org/en/donate