About Mac Parkman
Maconnell James Parkman
Mac Parkman was a vibrant human being who embodied the best attributes that humanity and God find endearing in this world. Warm, funny, witty, kind, compassionate, calm, loyal, caring is just a few of the characteristics that can describe this wonderful young man. He brought so much warmth and sunshine to everyone he touched, yet was as tough a competitor as one could be….a true peaceful warrior until he left this earth.
Mac was born on March 10, 2003, in Albuquerque, NM to a loving, mixed family and spent his first 6 years there growing up in the foothills to the west of the city in Tijeras, NM. As the “new” kid, his mom and sisters welcomed warmly him while his father was overseas, taking part in the invasion of Iraq. As a newly knit family that had never raised a son or brother, he brought so much love into their lives and brought them closer together with his presence, a gift that the family shares to this day.
Mac was a quiet boy, always wanting to do things, and he was physically active from the start. Track, baseball, karate, and skiing with his dad were his early activities, and he loved being active and with his friends, especially as they would all eat out in great places like Blakes, Sadie’s, and Hooters afterward. He was quick to learn, was active all the time, and enjoyed an early introduction to God at the local Prince of Peace school where he was loved by teachers and students alike, except for a short period where he tackled the other 5-year-old kids.
In 2009, Mac moved to Woodland Park with his family and enrolled in Colorado Springs Christian School system. He lived on a ranch, surrounded by forests, and became part of the wrestling team in first grade, along with almost the entire first-grade class. Mac was one of the few kids to stay with wrestling and loved the sport and the camaraderie and continued participation until his passing. Mac had several very close friends, two of them Nathan and Parker that would attend “cookie church” with him, as the local Methodist church had a very elderly congregation that loved to bake. He loved having his friends over to play games, jump on the trampoline, shoot air guns (or real guns on his dad’s range), play tag, camp out and we could hear them wrestling and bumping around upstairs well into the night.
Because of his father’s business activities, Mac fell in love with new places and was always on planes, with his dad and family going all over the U.S. and the world. Everywhere he went, he would always want to experience the local culture, food, and sightseeing. He visited Costa Rica, the Hawaiian Islands, Egypt, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, the UAE, he rode camels and entered the Great Pyramids, hiked mountains and glaciers, went zip lining, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, even went skiing in the UAE in an indoor ski simulator and practiced skydiving in an indoor skydiving range. He was always interested in what was going on and had a thirst for adventure that never, ever left him.
Mac was also a very active video gamer and loved to game with his friends both in-person and on-line. Over the years it became one of his outlets to take part in activities. Competition and gaming were very important to him. He developed a close-knit group of friends who competed together and some of the best memories we have of Mac would be his whooping and yelling with his friends while they took part in Apex, Brawlhalla, and Grand Theft Auto.
Mac’s Love of Sports
But it was sports that defined who Mac was in his later years. While we knew he loved wrestling, Mac approached us about joining the football team in 7th grade. Of course, they encouraged him to be and do what he wanted to do, so he joined the CSCS middle school team. With wrestling and now football, the family became used to a new, active traveling routine that stretched over 10 months of the year, supporting practices, team dinners, and taking Mac to games. We thoroughly relished every minute that Mac was engaged in sports, as we always wanted to support him in doing the things he loved. Mac continued this schedule all the way till the end of his Junior year when COVID hit and all sports stopped.
As an athlete, Mac was the consummate team player who gave all he had for the team. While he never was the best player on the team, he was always one of the most consistent. He had heart, dedication and he really enjoyed the participation. During his high school years, the team went to the state finals and made the playoffs for the first time in years. He worked hard, left a lot of sweat, and some blood on the field, and he and all of us were so proud about what he was working so hard to accomplish. He was a true team player and loved by all his teammates. It was easy to find out where Mac was. There were usually young men laughing their heads off, especially in wrestling, where the team had such tight bonds.
Towards the last months of his life, Mac continued to shine as a family member, worked hard at school, and was getting ready to join the Army. We now know that while to us Mac was…well Mac, inside he was fighting a daily struggle with mental illness and depression and determined not to let anyone know.
And that in the end defined who Mac was…a kind, loving boy who put everything he had into the fight against depression and psychosis until he had nothing left. A young man who bravely stood up against one of the most debilitating conditions, determined to not cause his family, friends, or coaches any pain or suffering for his condition. He left this world as he wanted, on his terms and desiring to relieve himself of the pain he was standing against. He was the bravest of us all.