Erick is survived by his daughter Abby Parr, stepdaughter Julie Jensen, brother Brian Parr (& wife Barbara Beenhakker), niece & nephew Sophia & Nicolas, and countless aunts, uncles and cousins.
Erick was born on August 1, 1963 in Baltimore, MD to August Parr and Eleanor Feeol Parr. Erick was a strong-willed person from a young age, beating childhood cancer by age 8. The family spent the majority of their years in Howard County, MD where Erick and his “gear head” friends rebuilt cars, lawnmowers and anything else they could get their hands on. Erick graduated from Mount St. Joseph High School in 1981, where he played lacrosse. He then attended Howard County Community College and began his path as a career engineer, alongside his father. Erick worked for 30 years as a mechanical designer & engineer for IBM, Orbital, Lockheed Martin, Alcatel-Lucent, Ciena, MEI Technologies, CACI, TCOM, Northrop Grumman, and, most recently, ATA Aerospace.
In 2003, Erick married Michele McNealey, and became a stepdad to Julie. Together they built a home in Annapolis, MD. There he could be found boating, working on his Chevelle in the backyard and walking the dogs with Julie, and later Abby. In 2007, Erick & Michele welcomed Abby into the world. The family moved to Severna Park, MD soon after. Erick was a devoted father to both his daughters. He coached lacrosse, field hockey and basketball. He was the kind of parent that went on as many field trips as he could, was early to every band & chorus concert and could be found working on projects and homework at the kitchen table. Sharing time with his family was a huge part of Erick’s life, making trips to Ocean City a highlight of every year, and topping it off with a trip to Australia for Abby & Erick. Erick & Abby were members of St. John the Evangelist Church. Erick shared his passion for music with Abby, a young clarinet player. Erick encouraged her to join the school band.
In 2018, Erick graduated from UMUC with his bachelor’s degree, a 35-year feat that made him passionate about the importance of education. Erick & Julie had the pleasure of enduring college academics at the same time. He watched Julie cross the living room graduation stage this month.
Erick was a trusted friend who brought light to wherever he worked or lived. He loved to play racquetball, lift weights, jet ski, sail and snow ski.
For some, friendships come and go, but Erick had a gift for keeping his friends close forever.
Erick will forever live in the hearts of all of those who called him dad, Erick, uncle, cousin, friend, and brother.
Due to the current world climate the family will be having a small ceremony in the coming days. However, when restrictions are lifted a celebration of life for all to attend will be arranged.
Should friends desire a GoFundMe page has been setup in his honor with the contributions going towards Abby’s college. gf.me/u/x2gnsa
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