Grover "Buddy" Parnell

Grover S. (Buddy) Parnell, Jr. of Wellesley, Massachusetts, formerly of Greenville, SC, died Saturday, August 1, 2009, in Boston from complications with cancer.

Born on August 4, 1942, Mr. Parnell was the son of the late Grover Sefton and Irene Dipner Parnell of Chappells, SC. He was a 1964 graduate of Wofford College, where he was a member of the SAE Fraternity and received his ROTC commission in the US Army.

Mr. Parnell earned his Juris Doctorate degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law, Class of 1968, and was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity. He served on active duty as a Captain in  the Artillery Corps from 1968 to 1970 with a tour in Vietnam.

At the conclusion of his active duty tour Mr. Parnell returned to Greenville and served as one of Greenville County’s earliest Public Defenders. In 1976 he and his wife, the former Mary Jane Zimmerman of Greenville, relocated with their son to Boston, MA.

He practiced Securities litigation with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Davis, Malm & D'Augustine, and most recently Finneran & Nicholson, PC. He was a member of the SC Bar, the Massachusetts Bar, and practiced in all levels of the federal court system.

Mr. Parnell is survived by his children, Elizabeth Jane Macaulay Parnell and Geoffrey McKay Parnell, both of Atlanta, GA. He was predeceased by his son, Grover Sefton Parnell, III, in 1986.

A memorial service will be held at The Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, MA at 4:00 pm on Thursday, August 6th. Mr. Parnell will be laid to rest in a graveside service at 10:00 am Saturday morning in the churchyard of the Soule Chapel United Methodist Church, Highway 39, Chappells, SC. A memorial service will be conducted at 3:00 PM on Saturday, August 8, 2009, at Christ Episcopal Church, Greenville, SC. Following the service, friends are invited to join the family at the home of John and Chelle Kelaher at 32 Collins Ridge Drive, Greenville, SC in celebration of Buddy's life. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be made to either the American Cancer Society or the National Kidney Foundation.

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