G.W. Estes was also an early resident of the village, owning a house on the northeast
corner of Clinton Avenue and State Street.
Ray's grandfather, Lyman D. Parr, was born in Essex Township. He worked on farms in the
area and in the grocery business in Ithaca before working at Calkins Grocery Store in
downtown St. Johns near the turn of the century.
R.D. Parr (with mustache) and Calkins in front of
grocery store. Ray said his dad worked there for a while. The other man (right) is
identified as being Dell Whitlock. Date on back of the photo is 1895.
In 1910, L.D. Parr's son, Dart H. Parr, went to work at the drug store on the corner of
Walker Street and Clinton Avenue in downtown St. Johns that was owned by a Mr. Travis and
Clare Wilkinson.
Prescription records at the store date back to May 30, 1862, when Dr. Bagg was the
owner of the building.
D.H. Parr, who graduated from pharmacy college at the University of Michigan, bought
the business from Travis in 1916, entering into partnership with his father, L.D. Parr.
Ray also graduated from U-M, coming to work with his father in 1947 and later forming a
partnership.
Ray bought the business in 1956, after his father suffered a second heart attack, and
ran the store as a sole proprietorship until 1973 when a corporation was formed involving
Elma and their son, Jim Parr, who graduated from pharmacy college at Ferris State
University in 1974.
Parr's Pharmacy expanded to include a store in Maple Rapids in 1975, and acquired
Finkbeiner's Pharmacy in Fowler that same year. Those stores were later sold.
Parr's remained in business until January 1999, when it was sold to Atlas Drugs. The
pharmacy was later relocated to the inside of the L&L grocery store in the Southpoint
Mall - closing a chapter in the history of drug stores in the St. Johns downtown business
district.