Preston B. Parker

On March 19, 2008, Preston B. Parker passed on to join his wife Eloris in the everlasting province of Jesus Christ. He was born August 16, 1917 in rural Van Zandt County Texas. His elementary schooling took place in Martins Mill, where his family lived until they moved to Ben Wheeler, and he graduated from Van High School in Van. After high school Preston attended and graduated from East Texas State Teachers College (Texas A&M Commerce). Preston and Eloris were married for 62 years and produced a family of 5 sons 5 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Eddie W. Parker, Douglas E. Parker, and Donald A. Parker of Austin, Texas. Ronald P. Parker and his two girls, Brittany and Kathryn who live in Everett, Washington. Gary A. Parker, wife Cynthia and their 3 children Johnathan, Lindsay A. Moxley and husband Darren, and Shelby who live in Gig Harbor, Washington, and a great grand daughter, Ada May Moxley. Preston included in his extended family Ruby Wilcox, William and Teresa Templeton and their daughter Holly. Preston was the youngest of 7 Parker children of Hulbert W. Parker and Cora L. Parker of Martins Mill and Ben Wheeler, Texas. Bessie M. Pitts of Tyler, Texas is the only survivor of the H.W. Parker family. Both formal education and experience qualified Preston as an educator. He took college courses to become a pilot. After college he joined the Naval Reserve and was assigned to special duty at the University of Chicago through the War Training Service. He and a colleague were prepared to set up training schools. He successfully set up a school in Memphis, Tennessee to train aircraft engine maintenance instructors. He was honorably discharged from the Navy before WWII began, and served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. After WWII he set up two watch making schools for returning veterans. One was in Denver and the other in Houston. He next went into the jewelry business, and opened jewelry stores in Tyler, Ennis, and Waxahachie, Texas. In 1965 he returned to education as an Industrial Cooperative Training (ICT) teacher at Regan High School in Austin. He retired from the Austin Independent School District in 1978 after teaching at McCallum High School. He was a Mason, belonging to Tyler Masonic Lodge No 1233. He had also been a member of the Austin Scottish Rite Bodies, and Ben Hur Shrine Temple. Early in his life he was active in the Baptist Church in Van Zandt County and later in Ennis, Texas. His greatest love was his family. He loved not only his siblings, his sons, grandchildren, and great granddaughter, but also the extended families he had in Van Zandt County and Austin, Texas. He exemplified love by way of the following definition. Love is the relentless caring and concern for the wellbeing of another, even through death. The family will receive friends from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home. Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at Austin Memorial Park with Reverend Don Long officiating followed by Masonic services under the auspices of Austin Lodge #12 AF and AM. Memorial contributions may be made to Shriner's Hospital for Children, 6977 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77030-9817