Walter Haywood Parrish was born on August 17, 1889, in Wake County, North Carolina. Parrish was a farmer in Wakefield, North Carolina, when he registered for the draft (World War I) in June 1917. He was inducted into the service in September 1917 and joined the Machine Gun Company of the 322nd Infantry. Parrish served overseas from May 1918 to April 1919. Parrish died in Durham (Durham County) on October 6, 1972.