Clifton Geno Parker Jr.

Clifton Parker died on October 18, 2014 at Transitions Healthcare from complications of pneumonia. He was born in Woodland, NC, on October 18, 1923, the son of Dr. Clifton Geno Parker, Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Parker Parker. He attended school there and went on to Wake Forest College from which he graduated in 1948. His college experience was interrupted by WWII, and after volunteering, he served in the Army Air Forces until the war’s end. He then returned to Wake Forest, his studies and his much enjoyed Kappa Alpha Fraternity. The hiatus in his education and reenrollment was fortuitous, for it was at Wake Forest that he met his future wife, Jewell Byrd Adams. They married after her graduation in 1950 and returned to Woodland where they began a marriage that would last 63 years. Clifton at that time started a long career in banking which spanned four decades. Pleased with the atmosphere of small-town eastern North Carolina, Clifton and Jewell reared three daughters in that close-knit community which provided each of them with Clifton’s sensitivity to the needs of others and his keen interest in all those he met. In the 1960’s, he began serving on the Northampton County Board of Education. Ultimately he became board chairman and successfully shepherded the county through the turbulent time of school desegregation. Other organizations he lent his time and talents to were the Woodland Men’s Club, the Small Business Association of North Carolina, and the North Carolina Bankers’ Association.

In 1972, his bank merged with NCNB, now Bank of America, and Clifton and his family relocated to Raleigh where he continued his career.

In a new town, Clifton readily met many new people and made many new friends. Together, he and Jewell became an integral part of the fabric of Raleigh. They became loyal members of Christ Episcopal Church where Cliff served on the Vestry and as treasurer for nine and a half years. He was a member of the Rotary Club, the Carolina Country Club, the St. Christopher’s Club, the Assembly and the Sphinx Club.

Cliff was preceded in death by his parents, his twin brother, Dr. Charles Council Parker, and his sisters Mary Lois Meacham, Helen Frances Yeargan, and Janie Parker Lewis. He is survived by his daughters and their husbands, Dell Parker Paschal and George W. Paschal III of Raleigh, Julie Parker Funkhouser and John P. Funkhouser of Raleigh, and Janie Parker Pinney and Edward Lee Pinney, Jr. of Richmond, VA. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Parker Funkhouser Poirier and her husband, Edward C. Poirier of London, England; Paul W. Funkhouser of New York, NY; Samuel H. Funkhouser of Raleigh; George W. Paschal, IV of Raleigh; Laura Adams Paschal of Washington, DC; Laura Walker Pinney of Charlottesville, VA; Caroline Parker Pinney and Janie Carson Pinney of Richmond, VA.

Clifton will be remembered as a devoted husband, a peerless father who imparted his wit and wisdom to his children and grandchildren, a jack-of-all-trades who could repair almost anything, and an engaging and committed friend to all who knew him.

All of the Parkers have special gratitude for Marian Denning and her family members, Shawn and Jarsette, for their care, attention and affection during Cliff’s times of need.

Concerned callers are welcome at the Parker residence, 809 Lassiter Place, Raleigh, NC.

On Tuesday, October 21, 2014, from 4 pm to 6 pm a visitation will be held at the home of Dr. and Mrs. George W. Paschal, 540 Hertford Street, Raleigh. After a private burial in Oakwood Cemetery, a memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 11 o’clock in the sanctuary of Christ Episcopal Church, 120 E. Edenton St. in Raleigh.

Rather than flowers, memorials in memory of Clifton may be made to Christ Episcopal Church, 120 E. Edenton St., Raleigh, NC 27601 or Transitions LifeCare ( formerly Hospice of Wake County), 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607.

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