Eugene Darrel Parkhurst was born on April 22, 1951, in Gordon, NE, to Darell and Colleen (Knudsen) Parkhurst. He was the oldest of 5 children.
He attended and graduated from Valentine High School in 1969. After graduating he started his lifelong career of ranching.  Ranches he worked on include the Arabia, Dam, and Kime ranches.
He and his wife JoAnn enjoyed ranch life together.  He was a fan and watched Husker football and volleyball games. He liked telling stories and visiting with family and friends, especially his brother Kenny.   Having his three daughters and grandchildren and great grandchildren around was his biggest joy.
He is survived by, wife JoAnn of Valentine, NE, daughters, Tammy Parkhurst of Mission, SD, Tonya Parkhurst (Louie Blacklance) of Fort Totten, ND, Teri Parkhurst of Hastings, NE; brother, Kenny (Christina) Parkhurst of Valentine, NE; sisters, Sharon Herrmann (Dan Petersen) Mission, SD, Tena (Wendell) Wolff of Houston, TX;  grandchildren, Amanda Ladely, Dustin Parkhurst( Colla Magee), Samatha (Lee) Shelbourn, all of Valentine, NE, Joshua Parkhurst and Mariska Parkhurst, both of Mission, SD,  Zoey Blacklance of Fort Totten, ND; and 12 great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents Darell and Colleen, sister Patricia Parkhurst.

Funeral service for Gene Parkhurst, age 74 of Valentine will be held on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM at the Valentine Methodist Church. The burial will follow at Harmony Cemetery north of Valentine.  A visitation will be held on Friday, Feb. 20 from 5-7 PM at Sandoz Chapel of the Pines in Valentine. Memorials maybe made to the family of Gene Parkhurst for future designation. Mr. Parkhurst passed away on Feb. 15th at the Cherry County Hospital.