Bertram Larry Parr

Known as one of the Williamsburg boys that went to war during WWII, enlisted when he

was 17 years old and served 30 years in the US Army Artillery and Infantry. Serving in Korea, Colonel

Parr was awarded two battlefield promotions. Then he went to command in combat, Artillery Battalion

and Infantry Brigade in Vietnam.

Parr had a distinguished career in intelligence. During the Cold War days, his assignment as Military

Attaché in Warsaw, Poland, proved particularly interesting when he was accused of spying and

declared "persona non-grata" (an unwelcome person) by the Communist Polish government and given

24 hours to depart the country. His military decorations included the Bronze Star for valor, five Legions

of Merit, two Air Medals, and the Combat Infantry Badge.

In the military and private life, Colonel Parr had an exciting and remarkable life. He was a soldier,

teacher, developer, builder, banker, farmer, pilot, politician, and businessman. He loved golf, scuba

diving, skiing, sailing, and sky diving. His last dive was when he was 75 years old.

Majoring in Economics, Bertram Parr graduated from the College of William and Mary. He was also a

graduate of the Army War College, where he obtained his Masters in Military Science. Holding high level staff jobs in the US Army in Vietnam, Colonel Parr was responsible for the writing and

implementing the plan for the re-deployment of all Army personnel and equipment from Vietnam. In

the Pentagon, Parr worked in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Office of

Secretary of Defense, where he wrote position papers for President Richard Nixon and Henry

Kissinger. His last assignment before retiring was Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.

Colonel Parr's family settled in Williamsburg, Virginia, when his father and grandfather, an English sea

captain, came from England in the 1880s. The family went on to purchase the Portal Bella Plantation

on the York River and was so steeped in English traditions that Parr's father raised his three children

in the Governor's Palace. His family home was actually on the grounds of the Governor's Palace.

Later, when John D. Rockefeller's Colonial Williamsburg was organized, the Parr family home was sold

to make way for the reconstruction of the Governor's Palace. Colonel Parr's sister spent many years

as a Palace Hostess. Colonel Parr was a member of the Burton Parish Episcopal church.

During his first duty station at Fort Bliss, Texas, Colonel Parr met and married Jean Coleman

(deceased) and was blessed with a beautiful daughter, Marlaine (deceased), and three sons, Bertram

Jr., Michael, and David.

On the ski slopes in Pennsylvania, he met a beautiful physicist, Anne Slaven (deceased), whom he

married and was blessed with two more sons, Bobby and Steve (deceased).

At 47 years of age and after 30 years in the US Army, Colonel Parr retired and started his second

career as a builder/developer in Annapolis, Maryland, and Palm Springs, California. Upon his second

retirement, he and his wife moved to their horse farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he

enjoyed sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and working as a hobby farmer.

During his days in Warsaw, Colonel Parr had met Maria Kuznetsova, a Russian doctor, and he went

on to marry his Russian Princess, who is now a practicing neurologist in Tampa, Florida. The family

lives in Clearwater, Florida, with their son, Leonard, a student at NYU.

Colonel Parr is survived by his wife, Dr. Maria Parr, and his five sons, Bob Parr of Rockville, Maryland;

David Parr of Austin, Texas; Michael Parr of Austin, Texas; Larry Parr of Houston, Texas, and Leonard

Parr, Clearwater, Florida, His son Steven and daughter Marlaine are decreased.

His five grandsons are Michael Tom, Brock, Cole, Brandon, and Dylan; his three granddaughters,

Erin, Kristin, Courtney, and his six great-grandchildren, Sarah Rose, Anna, Grayson, Carson, Kirby,

and Liam.

A private burial will take place in the family plot at the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Williamsburg,

Virginia.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishnorth.com for the Parr family.