Robert Andrew Parker

Mr. Parker was born in Henderson, NC on Jan.,14, 1938, the son of the late Walter Wellington Parker, Jr., and Helen Johnson Parker. He was the grandson of Walter Wellington and Temperance Williams Burwell Parker of Henderson and Manlief Orville and Elvira Royals Johnson of Thomasville, NC. His great-grandparents were Robert Randolph and Jesse Atherton Dawson Burwell of Glencove near Townsville, NC.

Mr. Parker is survived by his wife Susan, the former Susan Green Parker of Goldsboro; his sister Temperance Burwell Parker of Mt. Pleasant, SC; his nephew, Walter W. Parker lV (Virginia) of Madison, Georgia; and his niece Laura Parker Rosenwald (James) of Palos Verdes, California. Other survivors include his great nephews and nieces Walter W. Parker V, William Edwin Burwell Parker, Isabella Roth Parker, and Jocelyn and James Benno Rosenwald lV; and his brothers-in-law Frederick Pope Parker lll of Raleigh and Edwin Brownrigg Borden Parker of Goldsboro. He was predeceased by his brother Walter Wellington Parker lll in 2014.

Mr. Parker was educated in the grade schools of Henderson and was graduated from Henderson High School. He was a 1963 graduate of UNC Chapel Hill.

Mr. Parker was owner/president of several industrial and commercial real estate development firms that developed properties in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Ohio. Those properties included one of the first multi-tenant- flex buildings adjoining the Research Triangle Park. His companies constructed and leased buildings to a number of major corporations including Becton-Dickinson, Nortel, Glaxo, Eaton Corporation and Prudential Insurance Company. In 1972, Mr. Parker was one of the business leaders selected by then Gov. Robert Scott to recruit industry to the state from Europe and Great Britain. Subsequently he was awarded a citation by the United States Department of Commerce.

Mr. Parker served as a Director of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Industrial Development Committee of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. He was a long time member of the North Carolina Industrial Developers Association and other professional development organizations.

During the 1970s, Mr. Parker served as President and Managing Director of C&O Development Co, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the firm built hotels and housing for the Ruler and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, H.R.H. Sheikh bin Rashid al Maktoum, considered the Father of Modern Dubai. The firm also owned and operated two subsidiaries, System Controls in Kenly, NC and Refrigerated Transport, the Thermo King dealership in the Emirates.

Mr. Parker’s passionate interest in history led him to research, write and publish a number of books including "The Burwells of Kingsmill and Stoneland-an account of an American Family-1633-1900". He was actively involved in historic preservation efforts and served as Chairman of the Board of the Prestwould Foundation which oversees Prestwould Plantation near Clarksville, Virginia, now a museum and one of the best documented Eighteenth Century plantation complexes in the country. He also served as President of the Board of Directors of Historic Stagville Foundation in Durham County and as a member of the Board of Directors of Friends of Haywood Hall in Raleigh.

Mr. Parker was a long time member of the Sphinx Club of Raleigh and of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati, for which he served as treasurer, vice president, and president over a 12-year period.

Known for his love of canine friends, Mr. Parker was blessed by the unconditional love of his three dogs Brew, Emerson and Abby during their combined lives of over forty years.

The family wishes to express its appreciation to Katie Tomlinson for her loving service through the years and also to Mr. Parker's faithful and devoted caregivers provided by Lekita Essa, especially Emily, Loreen, Gina, Anne, Jane, and Evelyn. The family also wishes to commend Transitions LifeCare Hospice for its care during his final days.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Church of the Holy Innocents or Transitions LifeCare.

A memorial service will be held Friday, September 8, 2023 at 11:00 AM at The Church of the Holy Innocents, 210 South Chestnut Street, Henderson, NC 27536, with a reception following in the church Parish Hall. Burial will be private at a later date.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St, Raleigh.