Photo by Todd Lester.
Parker Boswell, a 2019 Spain Park graduate and standout student-athlete, died in a car accident in September while returning to Southern Union Community College in Wadley.
Talk to anyone who knew Parker Boswell and the scope of his personality becomes clear.
Genuine, caring, kind-hearted and intentional with an infectious smile is how those who were around him on a daily basis describe him.
Boswell, a former Spain Park High School basketball star, died in a car accident in September while returning to Southern Union Community College in Wadley. After spending a year at a prep school in Georgia, the 2019 Spain Park graduate was set to be a part of Southern Union’s basketball team.
Chris Laatsch, who took over as the boys basketball coach at Spain Park ahead of Boswell’s senior season, sought out Boswell first when he took the job. He knew Boswell was the Jags’ leader and was impressed by his initial conversations.
“A genuine kid. The first conversations with him were just real, and you felt like you had known him forever,” Laatsch said.
Boswell played on Spain Park’s varsity team for five years and was on the Jags team in 2016 that advanced to the state semifinals. His senior year was not the easiest, though. The team struggled to win games, and Boswell fought through injuries much of the season. But Laatsch never could tell.
“He continued to try to invest in his teammates even when he wasn’t on the floor,” Laatsch said. “He loved people. Basketball was important, but people were more important. He wanted everyone to be the best they could be.”
Josh Wallace, a football player and track and field athlete during his time at Spain Park, considers Boswell one of his closest friends. The two were even running mates for student government as seniors.
Wallace remembers his friend as someone always interested in others.
“He genuinely wanted to have a relationship with everyone around him,” Wallace said. “He would seek out those who were in need of a friend and be there for them.”
Wallace also mentioned Boswell’s smile, which is something that stuck with Allie DeSantis as well. DeSantis, who played volleyball at Spain Park, also considers Boswell one of her best friends.
“I feel like words will never do him justice,” DeSantis said. “It was the way he carried himself. No matter what day it was, what was going on, Parker would have that smile on his face, and anyone who knew of him knows what smile I am talking about.”
Despite spending so much of his energy on making other people feel welcomed and wanted, Boswell was able to juggle all his responsibilities in an exemplary fashion.
“He had it all. He knew how to balance his academics, his sports, his friends and family, to his relationship with Jesus,” DeSantis said. “You don’t find that many 19-year-old boys who know what they are doing with their life and living out their purpose at such a young age.”
Laatsch called the loss of Boswell “a hole in our heart,” but believes the life he led will leave a significant mark on the people he interacted with on a daily basis.
“If people can know about him and know what made him tick, it will make people better,” Laatsch said. “If we treated people like he treated people, the world would be a much better place.”
