Dolly Parton's older brother, David Wilburn Parton, has passed away at the age of 82. Their sister, Stella Parton, shared the heartbreaking news on social media on Friday, Nov. 15.
“My brother David passed away peacefully this morning,” Stella, 75, wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “It’s never easy to say goodbye to a loved one, but he got his angel wings and is now at peace.”
“My brother David was always referred to as sweet David because of his kindness, loyalty, and soft-spoken demeanor. He was also a US Marine,” Stella mentioned in a subsequent tweet. On Facebook, she posted, “It’s never easy to lose a loved one. My wonderful brother David Parton passed in the early hours of the morning.”
Stella added in another post, “Thank you for all your kind thoughts to my family as we continue to grieve the loss of our much-loved and cherished oldest brother David.”
David’s obituary confirmed his passing at his home in White Pine, Tennessee. His funeral is scheduled for Tuesday at Leadvale Baptist Church. Dolly, 78, has not yet publicly commented on her brother’s death.
David was a retired bridge builder superintendent for Simpson Construction, having worked on bridges in the Kingsport, Johnson City, and Knoxville areas. The family expressed special gratitude to Dr. David McNabney, Smoky Mountain Home Health & Hospice, his Cornerstone caregiver, Aubrie Smith, and caregiver, Robin Schmidt.
David is survived by his wife of 45 years, Kay Parton, his daughters Donna and Dena, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was the second-oldest of the 11 Parton siblings. His living brothers and sisters include Willadeene, 84, Coy, 81, Dolly, Robert Jr., 76, Stella, Cassie, 73, Freida, 67, and Rachel, 65. He had three other siblings, Randy, Larry, and Floyd, who predeceased him.
Randy, the most recent Parton sibling to pass away before David, died of cancer at age 67 in 2021. Dolly released a statement on Facebook at the time, saying, “My brother Randy has lost his battle with cancer. The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time.”
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