David John Parker

PARKER, David John; Died on Saturday May 30th, 2020 at the Peterborough Retirement Residence, at the age of 95. Predeceased by Sylvia Parker (nee Cooke), his beloved wife of 67 years. Family was always his focus. Loving father of Sharon White (Nick), Ken Parker, Gary Parker (Rose Lamb), Cathy Alice Parker, Bruce Parker (Gail Quin), and Stephanie Parker (Chris Stacey). Grandfather of eight, Great-Grandfather of five. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. He was the oldest son of Madeline Parker (nee Virtue) and Merton Parker, and the second oldest of their six children: Barbara, Walter, Roland, Joan and Doreen (all predeceased).

David's upbringing and varied working life included summers on his Grandparents’ farm, training and service in Canada during the war as an RCAF aviation mechanic, professional carpentry with his father, and - after going back to school as a grown man with a large family - a successful career at CBC as an electronic technician in Toronto.

David and Sylvia retired to a home they built in 1986 on a rural property near Berkeley, Ontario and spent many happy years there. They especially enjoyed visits to and from family, travel (car camping style), gardening and singing with the Georgian Bay Concert Choir and other local choirs.

David (Dad) was a man of his generation, a hard worker with diverse interests, skills and abilities. In the course of any given day he might harvest and boil off a gallon of home grown maple syrup, make functional tool boxes for the grandchildren (built to last their lifetime), replace the brake shoes to ready the family “jalopy” for its next cross country trip, fix a broken transistor radio that he'd rescued from a previous family “jalopy” and, after coming home from choir practice, for no particular reason, recite by memory every line of The Walrus and the Carpenter. He lived a long, full life. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

Cremation has taken place and a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Georgian Bay Concert Choir online at

http://www.georgianbayconcertchoir.org/sponsors/donations/

or a charity of your choice, and condolences may be made through the funeral home at www.CommunityAlternative.ca