Obituary of Robert Parmele

Bob Parmele, a real estate industry veteran who led the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission for nearly a decade, died Sunday at his Tulsa home. He was 65. Parmele suffered a heart attack several months ago, family members said. A Tulsa native and graduate of Hale High School, Robert L. Parmele Jr. followed his father into real estate. Despite his recent health concerns, he was still active in business, including Parmele Real Estate, which his father, Robert Parmele Sr., started in 1953, and Cinnabar Service Co., a land and right-of-way acquisition firm that he co-owned. &quot;Bob had probably forgotten more about real estate than most people ever knew,&quot; said Howard Kelsey, a close friend and longtime business associate. &quot;From real property to zoning and planning, whatever; he was a wealth of knowledge on the subject.&quot; Parmele was on the Planning Commission from 1978 through the early 1990s, including eight years as its chairman. In 2005, he concluded a nine-year stint in the Tulsa County Public Facilities Authority. Terry Young, a former Tulsa mayor and county commissioner and a business colleague of Parmele's, first met him while on the Planning Commission. &quot;The first thing I noticed about Bob was how smart he was,&quot; Young said. &quot;He had one of the sharpest and fastest minds I've ever known.&quot; Parmele also made a name for himself as a real estate appraiser and was a principal with Appraisal Specialists of Tulsa. Parmele's name has been associated more recently with the federal buyouts in the Tar Creek area in northeastern Oklahoma. Cinnabar Service Co., a Tulsa business that contracts with both public and private entities, oversaw the appraisal and acquisition of properties within the Tar Creek Superfund site, a 40-square-mile area once home to mining. Parmele was one of the principals of a company that was formed early this decade to build and operate a proposed Arkansas River toll bridge to connect Tulsa and Jenks, a controversial plan that ultimately was shelved, reports show. A graduate of the University of Tulsa, Parmele joined his father's firm in 1969 and over the years brokered deals for residential, business and industrial projects. He also filled roles in sales and management. Parmele was devoted to his children and his adopted granddaughter, Maren, friends say. He traveled with family members to China three years ago to bring her to the U.S. &quot;He was talking about his granddaughter continuously,&quot; Young said. &quot;We were always being treated to photos.&quot; A noted golfer, Parmele also was an expert angler whose office wall was a showcase of trophies from far-flung fishing expeditions. Parmele found time for volunteer work, too. He was a board member for the Southwestern Regional Medical Center of Cancer Treatment Centers of America and a past board member of the 12&amp;12 Substance Abuse Center. He also served on the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors board. Parmele is survived by three sons, Michael Parmele, Darren Parmele and Bobby Parmele; one daughter, Claire Tousley; his father, Robert Parmele Sr.; one sister, Linda Weible; and one granddaughter. Bob will lie in state 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday with family visitation taking place 6:00-7:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held 10:00 a.m Friday, New Haven United Methodist Church. Final interment will be at Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 10109 E. 79th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133&nbsp; To make an online donation click the link listed below: <a title="http://www.epartnersingiving.com/robertbobparmele" href="http://www.epartnersingiving.com/robertbobparmele" target="http://www.epartnersingiving.com/robertbobparmele">http://www.epartnersingiving.com/robertbobparmele</a> Ninde Brookside 918.742.5556 <p></p>