Lawrence Boyd Parker

Boyd, as his friends knew him, always said his greatest accomplishment was his family. He is survived by his wife Betty; his children, Greg (Kelly) Parker of Lake Kiowa, Texas, and Rhonda (Neal) Crawford of Atlanta, Georgia; his sister, Diane Duncan of Charleston, South Carolina; his eight grandchildren, Jamie (Adam) Sijansky, Robin (Ryan) Ingram, Kimberly (Jake) Norman, Luke (Jessi) Crawford, Jonathan (Mikela) Parker, Kaitlin Parker, Grant Crawford, Ryan (Jamie) Parker and ten great-grandchildren: Jackson, Jace and Jemma Sijansky, Parker and Austin Ingram, Evelyn Norman, Elliot Parker, Aurora Purcell and Silas and Margot Crawford.

He was born on September 30, 1935, in Thayer, Missouri, to William Glen and Florence Lillian Parker, and was preceded in death by his parents, brother Vershel and sister Veda. He joined the military immediately after high school and served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, working in the Philippines, Guatemala, Spain, Korea and across the globe. After retiring from the Air Force, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio and worked toward a master’s at the University of Texas - San Antonio. His final retirement was as a city planner for the City of San Antonio.

Boyd was deeply committed to his faith and served as a Baptist deacon and church volunteer throughout his life. He was also a long-standing and active member of Gideons International.

A celebration of Boyd’s life will be held Friday, January 12, at Village Parkway Baptist Church, starting at 10 a.m. and preceded by visitation at 9 a.m. A graveside service with full military honors will follow that afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to Gideons International. Arrangements by Sunset Northwest Funeral Home.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to the amazing caregivers and team at The Mission at Blue Skies of Texas East and Hospice - Blue Skies of Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to The Gideons International in honor of Lawrence Boyd Parker. You may either give at www.sendtheword.org or by check to The Gideons International, P. O Box 97251, Washington D.C. 20090-7251