Obituary: Parker, Jackie Edward
When Jack was three years old he moved to Spokane with his mom and dad.
He attended Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane.
Jack entered military service in 1945.
He was stationed in Germany at the end of WWII and then stationed in Texas.
He returned to Spokane for a short time and while home he met his wife, Myrtle Moline, on a fishing trip with friends at Deer Lake.
Jack and Myrtle enjoyed service life and traveled to faraway places like England and Puerto Rico.
While being stationed again in Spokane at Fairchild Air Force Base in 1952, Jack and Myrtle heard and answered the call of God on their life when representatives from a local church knocked on their door and shared Christ with them.
Jack and Myrtle were baptized together in 1956 at Dishman Baptist Church in Spokane.
Six children were born to Jack and Myrtle.
The family has many special memories of their time abroad, but dad was involved in more serious matters in 1962 as an EOD munitions tech during the Cuban Missile Crisis supervising the stockpiling of bombs in Puerto Rico.
He told his family recently that he went days without sleep during that time as they were undermanned in Puerto Rico and the pressure was unbelievable to make sure that the bombs were positioned and stored safely.
During his military career Jack was frequently called in to disarm bombs and direct military demolition projects as well.
After he retired from military service at age 38, Jack moved the family to California where he worked for a missile contracting company at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Later he worked for Martin Marietta in Orange County, CA and then the Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station in Keyport, WA where he worked on torpedoes until his retirement in 1999.
After retirement Jack and Myrtle moved to Addy, WA.
He had wonderful memories of this area from childhood hunting trips and visits to his uncle’s farm.
Jack enjoyed his church family at Holy Trinity Church in Colville, WA.
Jack’s good and generous life was characterized by his steady, dependable nature; his quiet wisdom; his faithfulness to his God, his wife, his family, his church, and his country; and his incredible generosity of time, money, and service to his family, his church, and any soul that was hurting or needy.
He was an example of calm and steady perseverance, never complaining even when surgery on a tumor on his spine left him paralyzed from the waist down and everyday life became very hard for him.
He was a ROCK to his family, always pointing them to faith in God for strength.
Jack is survived by his wife, Myrtle; all six of his children, Guy Parker of Addy, WA; Cherie Copeland of Spokane, WA; Gary Parker (Cari) of Williamstown, New Jersey; Lisa White (Derral) of Addy, WA; Polly Stickney (Larry) of Colville, WA; and Gloria Sarber (Nathan) of Addy, WA; 22 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.
Jack died peacefully surrounded by his children and grand- children who were praising God that Jack left a legacy of faith to his family.
We are confident that dad is now with his Heavenly Father and that he no longer is bound to a wheelchair, but is walking on streets of gold.
Jack fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith; “Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!
“(Matthew 25:23) A memorial service for Jackie will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2014 at Grace Evangelical Free Church in Colville, WA starting at 1:00 p.m. DANEKAS FUNERAL CHAPEL and CREMATORY is entrusted with the arrangements.
Please visit the online memorial at www.danekasfuneralchapel.com and sign the guestbook.