Ex-Newport Fire Capt. Parrish Dies

NEWPORT BEACH — Larry Parrish, a retired captain of the Newport Beach Fire Department, died Wednesday at his home in Long Beach after a one-year bout with cancer. He was 49.

Parrish joined the city’s Fire Department in 1972 and was promoted to captain in 1978, said Capt. A.J. Wagner, who worked with Parrish all that time.

“He was a great firefighter and had a great attitude,” Wagner said. “He was very fair and level-headed.”

Parrish was known as “the gourmet chef of Station 3” and was famous for making birthday cakes for colleagues at the firehouse, Wagner said.

Last year, Parrish was elected Firefighter of the Year by his peers and was nominated as an overachiever in the Orange County Firefighters Assn.

He left the department in September and officially retired on Dec. 15, Wagner said.

Parrish is survived by his wife, Gina, his son, Tyson, 14, and his sister, Wanda Black.

Services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Monday at Pacific View Memorial Park in Newport Beach.