Lawrence "Larry" Parker

Lawrence (Larry) Steplyn Parker was born in October 1932 in Rayville, Louisiana, to Alvis O. Parker and Ola Mae (Billye) Parker (Dopson), but grew up in the Bastrop area. He married Kathleen Young in November 1952, and they were happily married for over 65 years until she preceded him in death in April 2018. Later in life, he lived briefly in Wyoming, in Arizona for a number of years, in Kansas, and moved to Leon Valley, Texas in 2004. He often joked he was from northern L.A., inferring he was from Los Angeles. Larry was well known for his jokes, and would often say “did I ever tell you the one about …..” Larry served as a pastor of Assembly of God churches in Kansas during the early 1960’s, and throughout his life was active as a Sunday School teacher, a lay pastor conducting Sunday services in a local nursing home, and was active for a number of years in the Gideons, an organization known for distributing Bibles. He was a member of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, and served as an usher for about 14 years until his health began to decline. One of his passions was music and he was a talented pianist known for his country sound, and also played the guitar. For a few years, he was the pianist at the church they attended in Kansas. Friends could often be found in his house gathered around the piano, or in the living room listening to his guitar, as he accompanied them on old gospel hymns. He also played a mean “Alley Cat.” He loved what he called Western Swing music, and Bob Wills was one of his favorite artists. I recall his disappointment at learning the mariachis at one of the local Mexican restaurants didn’t know “San Antonio Rose.”

Aside from his activities furthering the kingdom of God, he worked in construction, which later gave him a background to work as an insurance estimator and claims adjuster for various insurance companies. For several years in the late 1970s, he served as the Kansas Farm Bureau adjuster for 23 counties in western Kansas. He also owned and managed a mobile home court in Junction City, Kansas from 1980 to 1998. After moving to San Antonio, he worked as a driver for Enterprise Rental Cars at the airport location, and didn’t retire until age 84. Larry and Kathy enjoyed traveling and were able to visit Maryland and Key West, Florida during their son’s military assignments. These trips included visits to New York City, Ellis Island, Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington D.C., Colonial Williamsburg, and even an air boat ride in the Florida Everglades.

He is survived by his son, Steve, granddaughter Angie, family members Maria Lopez, Martha Parker, Ruby Ochoa, Jennifer Perez, Ricardo and Marleney Ochoa, members of his church family, and nine nephews and nieces in Missouri, Louisiana, and Arizona.

Visitation will be at Sunset Northwest Funeral Home, 6321 Bandera Road, 78238 on Monday, June 1, 2020 from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. A funeral service will be celebrated at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at Cornerstone Church, 18755 Stone Oak, 78258 with Pastor Larry Lewis officiating. A private burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery.