He was the 'pillar of our family,' says daughter of man killed in Rexdale shooting

He was a loving husband, a devoted father of seven, and a beloved grandfather of 12.

The "pillar of our family" who provided "not only love and support but also a sense of security and stability," Delroy "George" Parkes' eldest daughter, Jaidyn, said.

Late Sunday night, the York Region resident was playing dominoes and socializing after playing soccer with a large group of friends outside North Albion Collegiate Institute in Rexdale when two suspects pulled up in a newer-model, black or blue pickup truck, exited the vehicle, and fired up to 50 shots, striking five of the men before fleeing the scene.

Parkes, who was affectionately known to many as Uncle George, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but died there a short time later. He was 61.

The other four victims, who are some of Parkes' closest friends, sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Speaking with CP24 late Tuesday afternoon, his second youngest child, 23-year-old Jaidyn, said that her mother, Heather, received a call late Sunday night from one of her dad's best friends informing her that he'd been shot. Jaiden said that her mom could hear her husband of 30 years moaning in pain in the background and saying that he wasn't going to make it. She said that her mom initially rushed over to the North Albion Collegiate, where she learned from the police what hospital her spouse had been taken to. Sadly, by the time Heather arrived, it was too late, Jaidyn relayed.

She said that her fther was sitting down with his back turned to the suspects and was shot twice in the back. The bullets came out through his chest.

"He wasn’t even able to get up and go anywhere. He was completely helpless," she said.

"Where he was sitting he was just right in open fire.”

Delroy "George" Parkes with his wife, Heather. (Parkes family photo)

Word of Parkes' death spread quickly to his children and relatives.

"This has completely torn apart our family," Jaidyn told CP24.com late Tuesday afternoon.

‘My dad was such a good person. ... He didn’t deserve this at all."

Delroy "George" Parkes with some of his grandchildren. (Parkes family photo)

Parkes came to Canada in 1991 from Saint Ann's Bay, Jamaica and had called Woodstock home for a number of years before recently moving to Maple.

He is being remembered as a generous and kind person who was willing to go to above and beyond for everyone he met, Jaidyn said on a crowdfunding page she created to raise funds for her dad's funeral and to help support their family.

"He was a father, a friend, and uncle to everybody. I guarantee you can’t find one person on this earth who will find one bad thing to say about him. … (My dad) lived a simple life and was all about peace, love, and the community," she told CP24.com.

"Our phones have been ringing off the hook (since the news broke of his passing). Hundreds of people have been reaching out. He made a mark on so many."

Jaidyn wrote on the Go Fund Me that her father was a "beautiful human being who loved his family deeply" and a "man of strong faith" who read his Bible daily and "dedicated his life to the Lord."

“My father would want me to forgive (the assailants) so I will forgive them, but I want them to pay for what they did. I want them to come forward and I want them to turn their life around to honour my father and his legacy,” she told CTV News Toronto's Janice Golding.

Delroy "George" Parkes with his daughter Jaiden and son Joshua. (Parkes family photo)

She said that he had a passion for playing soccer and dominoes with his friends, which she said he did "every night in a peaceful and friendly gathering" for the last 30 years at North Albion Collegiate. Parkes, who was a member of the North Kipling soccer league, was often accompanied by one his younger sons, who last Sunday night opted to not join him, Jaidyn said. 

Parkes also loved to cook. Curry chicken was one of his favourite dishes to prepare, his daughter shared.  

She also said that her recently retired father was a handy person who often repaired vehicles and things around the house. He'd made the table on which he and his friends played dominoes and was in the process of building her a home bakery, she shared.

Sadly, Parkes was killed just days before Jaidyn graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University with a degree in social work. The first of his seven children to earn a post-secondary education, Jaidyn said  purchased a red dress (her dad's favourte colour) to wear for her June 11 convocation. 

"I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to do it for him. I know he’s going to be watching me from heaven. I know he’ll be smiling down and making sure I’m OK and being so proud of me for everything I did," she told CTV News Toronto.

“He was my hero. He did everything for me. Anything I needed, he was there for. Anything I wanted, he was there for me."

Delroy "George" Parkes with his eldest daughter, Jaidyn. (Parkes family photo)

"Our On the GoFundMe page, Jaidyn wrote that her family's "hearts are broken, and our lives have been forever changed (by this tragedy)."

“I thought my dad would live until he was 100. I never could imagine a day without him,” she said, vowing to always take care of her mother the way her dad did.

A private funeral service for Parkes will be held on June 15.

Since the shooting, Toronto police have increased the number of officers in Rexdale area and have set up a command post in the community. They continue to canvas the neighbourhood for both witnesses and video surveillance footage.

With files from CP24's Bryann Aguilar and Beatrice Vaisman, and CTV News Toronto's Janice Golding.