Harlingen,Texas on September 23, 2022. Ed was 99 years old, only one month shy of
100.
Ed was born October 23,1922 to Howard and Ethel Parker in Hoboken, NJ. During the
great depression, his father moved the family to Evanston, IL for better job opportunities
and Ed was sent to Darien, WI to live with his aunt and uncle. It was there he met his
wife of 72 years, Phyllis Snyder.
During WW II, Ed served in the Army stateside as a cartographer. Ed and Phyllis
married in November 1943, living first in Lancaster, WI, then Beloit, when after his
discharge, Ed earned a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Beloit College.
Ed worked for the State of Wisconsin for 40 years, first as a parole officer in Rock
County, then as a member of the Wisconsin Parole Board, advancing to the
Administrator in the Department of Corrections.
Ed and Phyllis lived in Madison, WI and then McFarland, WI for 20 years.
Ed loved to take his family on educational vacations, touring factories, reading all
roadside Historical Markers and looking for fossils in the western U.S., while camping
with Army surplus gear. The family camped the western National Parks and saw many
U.S. points of interest every summer.
In 1980, Ed and Phyllis toured France by rail and car, visiting family and experiencing
the French lifestyle for several months. They had an RV back in Wisconsin, discovering
what Canada and all the U.S. had to offer for wanderers. They retired the RV , settling in
the Rio Grande Valley with some of the friends they met along their journey. They lived
in Fig Tree RV Resort for the rest of their lives.
Ed was an intelligent, strict but fair father, and the first to enjoy a good joke. He loved to
golf, bowl, putter in the garden, go to grandkid sporting events and shoot pool with his
neighbors. He was also a Boy Scout Leader, friendly and helpful to everyone he met. Ed
will be sorely missed.
Ed was preceded in death by his mother and father, his wife, Phyllis and his two
brothers, Howard and Bill. He is survived by his four children, Edward Jr (Annie), Anne
Brumm (Daniel), Theodore (Lori) and Susan Slaton (Timothy). Ed also leaves nine
grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Our thanks to Valley View Assisted Living, Jessica at Hospice Care and the people of
Fig Tree park.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Edward Parker Sr.’s name are appreciated at your local
Humane Society.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 2:00 at Fig Tree RV
Resort in Harlingen, Texas.
A graveside service will be held at a later date in Darien, Wisconsin.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.heavenlygracergv.com for the Parker family.
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