If you’ve spent much time around Kimblewick, chances are you already know Richard Parks. And if you don’t know him yet, there’s a good chance he’ll introduce himself soon.

Richard moved from Carmel to Kimblewick in March 2023 and quickly became one of the community’s most recognizable faces. Vibrant, outgoing and endlessly social, he can often be found sitting on his front porch, waving to neighbors as they pass or striking up a conversation with anyone who happens to stop by.

Some of us affectionately refer to him as the “Mayor of Kimblewick.” Spend a little time with Richard, and it’s easy to understand why.

Music is one of Richard’s great loves, and inside his home sits an impressive jukebox filled with songs that reflect his wide-ranging taste. His favorites span generations and genres, from the Oak Ridge Boys and Dolly Parton to the Beatles and Brandi Carlile.

During a recent visit, a song playing in his home included the lyrics, “Every day I want to help someone... show them some sunshine, reach out with a hand to hold.”

It could almost serve as Richard’s personal theme song.

Whether he’s helping a neighbor, volunteering in the community or simply offering a friendly wave from the porch, Richard seems to have a natural desire to bring a little positivity into someone else’s day. Now in his 80s, he shows few signs of slowing down.

Richard grew up in Pennsylvania and attended Adams-Summerhill High School. During his senior year, government recruiters visited the school looking for promising students. Richard had already learned valuable office skills, including typing and shorthand, and those abilities helped open the door to his first job as a clerk typist with the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C.

It was the beginning of a long career in government service.

Richard later worked for the CIA before entering the U.S. Army for three years during the Vietnam War era. Although he did not serve in Vietnam, he was stationed in Korea.

His journey later took him to Arizona, where he worked in radio maintenance and installation in another government position. After his time in the Army, Richard continued his education, studying business and accounting at what eventually became American University.

Following college, he returned to work for the federal government and continued his career until retiring in 2002.

Washington, D.C. also gave Richard something far more important than a career. It was where he met his future wife, Joy.

The two met at a Halloween party while Joy was working for the U.S. Department of State. Her work included supporting Shirley Temple Black and assisting with various needs of ambassadors preparing for assignments overseas.

Joy had plenty of interests outside of work, too. One of Richard’s favorite stories involves her love of ice skating. She kept a pair of skates at her desk at the State Department, and during the winter, she would occasionally spend her lunch break skating on the Reflecting Pool.

Richard and Joy eventually married and welcomed their son, Ryan. Joy later became a stay-at-home mom, devoting her time to caring for Ryan and their home.

She was artistic and musical, playing both violin and piano. She admired the work of artist P. Buckley Moss and also enjoyed collecting Coca-Cola memorabilia.

Their son inherited some of the family’s musical talent and plays the clarinet. Today, Ryan lives in Indianapolis’ historic Irvington neighborhood and works at Indiana Landmarks. He remains close to his dad and visits Richard often in Kimblewick.

Richard and Joy shared 49 years of marriage before Joy passed away in 2020.

Three years later, Richard began a new chapter when he built his home in Kimblewick.

Trying to summarize Richard’s hobbies and activities is no easy task.

He enjoys reading Harlan Coben novels, collecting antiques, cars, music, movies, baking bread, pies and cakes, following the Pacers and Fever, playing golf and dining at local restaurants. Over the years, he has even held part-time jobs at two golf courses, one private and one public.

And that’s only the beginning.

Within Kimblewick, Richard participates in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, joins trips to Conner Prairie, hands out candy to children during Kimblewicked Halloween and occasionally heads out with the community walking group.

He has volunteered to help clean up local roads, started a pool-playing interest group at Joe’s Grille and leads the monthly Friday Bingo group.

He has even served as an “Elf on the Shelf” during the holidays. The costume is still at the Carriage House, just in case Kimblewick finds itself in need of an elf again.

Richard also competes in the community’s bocce ball leagues, where his team finished second this year. When the weather cooperates, he enjoys riding his bicycle. During football season, he joins fellow Colts fans at the Carriage House to cheer on Indianapolis.

He’s also always up for a good meal. Some of his favorite local restaurants include Thai Isaan, Charleston’s, Texas Roadhouse and Olive Garden.

Richard’s adventurous side has taken him well beyond Indiana, too. He recently traveled with a group from Kimblewick on a two-week trip to Alaska, adding another experience to an already colorful life.

With a social calendar like his, retirement hardly seems like the right word!

If Kimblewick ever held a prom, there’s a pretty good chance Richard would find himself in the running for Prom King.

Perhaps it’s fitting that Richard’s favorite song is Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”

He has certainly lived that way.

His life has taken him from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C., Korea, Arizona and eventually Indiana. He has served his country, built a long career, experienced nearly five decades of marriage, raised a son and entered a new chapter of life here in Kimblewick.

When Richard turned 80, Ryan surprised him with a birthday celebration that deeply touched him, another reminder of the relationships that mean so much to him.

Ask Richard to describe himself, and he chooses four words: “Honest, dependable, generous and caring.”

Those who know him might add a few more: energetic, welcoming, involved and unforgettable.

Richard has experienced both tremendous joy and profound loss, but he continues to embrace the life in front of him. He shows up. He gets involved. He tries something new. He makes friends. And more often than not, he leaves the people around him smiling.

As his neighbor, I think I can speak for many of us when I say that Richard brings joy wherever he goes.

Maybe that is the lesson behind his story. Life is meant to be lived in the present, appreciating each day for the gift that it is.

And whether Richard is leading Bingo, playing bocce, cheering on the Colts, traveling somewhere new or simply sitting on his front porch waving to a neighbor, he continues to do exactly that.

He’s living life his way, and Kimblewick is a brighter place because of it.