David Todd Parnell age 64 of Bryant, passed away Tuesday, August 19, 2025. He was born November 19, 1960 in Camden, Arkansas.

His boyhood years were spent in Camden, where he and his family lived just down the street from his grandparents.  They spent most of their days together making lots of memories. They enjoyed summers camping and fishing at Lake Greeson.  Later, his family moved to Bryant where he attended high school and then UALR.

His early career included the food distribution service, a cleaning business and running a convenience store with his father, Lovette. He later joined Lovette for a new venture.  Todd spent many years helping him build a successful car dealer trade business in Central & Northwest Arkansas.  When Lovette retired, Todd took over the business.  Both Todd's business experience and ability to connect with people allowed him to build a business of his own, forging great relationships with both car dealers and drivers. But these drivers were more like family than employees.  Making his drivers feel like they were seen and heard, he would build friendships and bonds that would last a lifetime.

Sports has always been important to Todd. He said, "We played lots of sports and games. It was fast, fun and I always played to win." In the 90s, he coached & officiated girls' basketball.  He spent many years playing basketball, golf, tennis and games with lifelong friends. He also coordinated a pretty popular Fantasy Football League that included a lot of armchair quarterbacks with lots of snacks and bragging rights.  His biggest feat was all the basketball these weekend warriors would play, starting with just a few friends in the driveway to renting courts to play on several nights a week. One of his friends telling me that they would often work together just to try to beat Todd.

Todd often used sports analogies explaining things in such a way where you could both understand and also apply it to your own life.  He was one of the few people in this world that truly had a gift for listening and communicating with people. His story is unlike any other..

"In order to play the game, you've got to look at the whole board."

Todd was among a small group of people in the world who received a heart transplant.  Doctors prepared us by saying it could greatly change who he was. It may have been someone else's heart, but that never changed the heart of who he was. There were challenges and setbacks, but looking back it was all a part of the whole board. He played each play so well that the rest of us were becoming better players and didn't even know we were playing the game.

We are all put in each other's path for a reason, but some of us are guides. His life on earth was lived with grace, dignity, respect and kindness.  He always remembered your name and what was going on in your life. Conversations and people mattered to him. He was genuinely happy for you and was always your biggest cheerleader.

He was raised that if you make a promise, you keep it.  His career and achievements are commendable, but the real work was showing up and doing the work you said you would do.  Promising his mother to take care of his grandparents after she was gone. He fulfilled that promise taking care of them through their failing health never wavering or regretting it for a moment.

It's the way we carry ourselves through life that matters, treating others with dignity and respect. He always said, "Actions speak louder than words.. If you make a promise, you better be sure you can follow through.. You never know who is watching so make sure you are fair and kind.. Whatever you say or do cannot be taken back, and who you are and how you conduct yourself matters."

To truly know him, you knew he had your back. He said, "We are all human. We are not better than anyone else. It's important to give our best to everyone, every life matters." He gave everyone courtesy and his time. You could literally talk to him about anything and he would listen so intently and ask the kinds of questions where you arrived at the right answer on your own.

There's not enough time and space to list all the ways this man carried himself through life and the countless lives he changed for the better. Those of us who knew him consider ourselves privileged. For his countless friends and family, he has carried you with him through his journey.  Often telling your stories again and again.  He was a great man that fiercely protected those he loved.  His brother who he both respected and admired.  He was a bonus dad to three amazing adult children, their sweet spouses and grand kids who he truly respected loved, and adored. He began and ended every day choosing each one of us.

We should all take lessons from the life he led and try to do better than we did the day before. We should all reflect on our own lives and know that we did our very best and left nothing unfinished. If you have this kind of person in your life, thank and honor them.  If you don't, then be this kind of person for someone else.  We all need this kind of humanity in the world.

He looked at the "whole board" and played the game to win. We will always hold in our hearts and minds the many things he taught us and the fine example of how to live a life. He would not want me to say he was "great" but he was. There were no books written about him, but his work is so important that it will live on in every life he effected. He did not have trophies or honors, but what I learned from him was that's all just for show anyway. It's how you look in the mirror and rest your head at night knowing that you did the right thing for all the right reasons.

Your book and our story will always live in my heart. You will forever be my one and only and my MVP. Game well played, my incredible man.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lovette and Mairbeth Parnell, grandparents, Morris and Connie James, Ralph Parnell, Ruby and Dick Childers.

Left to carry on his memory are his wife, Lisa Parnell, brother, Keith Parnell, step-mother, Ura Mae Parnell, children Laura (Malik) Jackson, Joey (Joann) Kaar, and Hannah (Remy) Wells, five grandchildren and a host of family and friends.

Memorial services will be held at Ashby Funeral Home in Benton, Arkansas, Monday, August 25, 2025. Visitation from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm with services immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, please consider sending memorial tributes to The Vanderbilt Heart Transplant Program in Nashville, TN.