Parks Caldwell Kennerly

Parks Caldwell Kennerly, 58, of Kennesaw, Georgia, died November 17, 2025 at Grady Burn Center in Atlanta, GA after a hunting accident.

Parks was born at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta on January 23, 1967, the eldest child of Lee Plummer Kennerly and Sarah McFerrin Kennerly, who survive him. He was raised in the White Oak Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Senoia, GA and Willington Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in WIllington, SC. Parks attended Carver Middle School and Dixie High School in Due West, SC. He served as an NCO in the US Air Force in Warner Robins, Georgia from 1986-1990.

Elected class clown at Dixie High School, Parks brought laughter into every room and a wry perspective to every conversation. His family and friends simply loved being with him. His spirit carries on in stories told about him and in the brightness he brought to those lucky enough to grow up with him, be raised by him, serve with him, or work with him.

Employed at Motorola and Sprint in Atlanta with skills honed in the USAF, he invested in real estate and, in 2005, Parks opened Nature Supply Centre, a landscape supply company in Mableton, GA. The business thrived as Parks made himself a part of the community, opening a second location and providing employment to dozens of employees over the years–including two of his children.

Parks was a natural leader, partly because of his affability, generosity, and sense of humor. Elected Past Master of both the Latham #12 Masonic Lodge and Mableton #171 Masonic Lodge, he was highly esteemed by the countless folks he built community with, as well as by men he served with in the USAF and the many employees he mentored. He had a genuine interest in his fellow humans and a way of recognizing the essential dignity of anyone he met. More than a few can attest that they began to see in themselves something he saw first.

Parks will also be remembered for his love of his animals, starting with Button, the Boston terrier he grew up with, and ending with Sage, the dog he rescued from the fire that caused his terminal injuries. Those who knew him can take comfort in knowing that his death was defined by two of his life’s leisures: deer hunting and caretaking his dogs.

Parks was preceded in death earlier this year by his stepfather-in-law, Levi Bedgood, and by his mother-in-law Carolyn Bedgood. He is survived by his wife, Catrina Carter Kennerly; his children Colt Plummer Kennerly, Hope Carter Kennerly, and Kira Mae Kennerly, all of Kennesaw; a brother, Sean Kennerly (Holly) of Due West, SC; and a sister, Mary Helen Kennerly of Iowa City, IA. Extended but deeply mournful family include aunts and uncles: Ike and Margarette Kennerly of Brevard, NC and John and Janie Freed of Clarksville, TN; and cousins Carey Cox (Eddie) of Stockton, CA, Patrick Kennerly (Julia), Coates Kennerly (Sara), Mildred Kennerly, of Brevard, NC, and Chester Kennerly (Kelly) of Apex, NC.

A celebration of Parks’ life will be held at the Sweetwater Shrine in Douglasville, Georgia from 1:00PM to 3:00PM on Saturday, January 24, 2026. He will also be honored during a family-only service at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton on January 17, 2026.

A message of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com.

Obituary courtesy of Harris Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Abbeville.