Andres Parra, age 81, passed away Friday afternoon on July 20th in Orlando, FL. He was known as “Andy” and lived a full life until he was taken over by Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes, or “MDS.” Both of these conditions are cancers of the blood and bone marrow. Prior to this, Andy was also a prostate cancer survivor in the late 90’s.
Andy was born December 7th, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas to a Spanish and Mexican family. He was raised there until he was old enough to join the Navy. This ultimately led him to the Vietnam War, where he met his wife, Lee Parra. They wed in Winter Park Florida, where Andy also sponsored Lee’s mother and 5 teenaged nieces and nephews. They all lived under the same roof for a short amount of time.
Andy lived his live with a passion for photography. He received his AA from Daytona Community College and became a professional photographer who specialized in weddings, portraits, and wildlife photography. He was very well known in the community and eventually became the sole photographer for Orange County Public Schools. Andy was also a volunteer for the “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” organization, which photographs stillborns for the respective families. In later years, he worked at Mid Florida Technical Institute as a substitute photographer teacher, where he influenced many students to success.
Andy is survived by his wife and son, Lee and Marco Parra. Andy also has 4 remaining brothers and a step sister; Aldaberto Jr., Ernesto, Ruben, Cesar Oscar, and Alicia Amalia Parra Reyes. His deceased family are his parents, Aldaberto Sr. and Irene Cisneros. He also has 2 deceased sisters, Irene and Lucy Parra. He was loved and cherished by family, friends, and his students.
His service will be held at Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home at Chapel Hill Cemetery, located at:
2420 Harrell Road
Orlando, FL 32817
(407) 671-3919
Viewing: 2pm-3pm
Service: 3pm
Food will be served after the service at the funeral home.
