Marianne Buce Parker died on April 13, 2026 after a short illness. She was 92. A native of West Monroe, Louisiana, she graduated from Ouachita High School and Northeast Louisiana State College, where she was a member of Phi Mu Sorority. At LSU she earned a masters degree in music in piano performance in 1957. She started her career as a member of the music faculty at Gulfpark College in Long Beach, MS. An independent piano teacher for 42 years, she was also a church musician from the age of 14, where as a teenager she was a pianist for West Monroe First Baptist Church and in her later years a church organist for University Baptist Church. She was a piano accompanist for Drew Shaw’s award winning Lee High School choirs and the University Methodist Church Chapel Choir and was a longtime member of The Music Club of Baton Rouge, The Philharmonic Club of Baton Rouge, the 39er’s book club and PEO.
She was preceded in death by her parents Roy and Elizabeth Buce of West Monroe, Louisiana, her husband of 65 years, Dr. Jack Bradford Parker, and daughter Laura Parker Hough of Kirkwood, Missouri. Survived by son Bruce Norman Parker (Debra), daughter Polly Parker Stafford all of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Grandchildren Madeline Claire Parker and Cameron Parker Stafford of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Wyatt Parker Hough of Kansas City, Missouri and William Frederick Hough of Seattle, Washington and sister-in-law Gene Rife Parker.
Funeral services will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. followed by a reception in the common room. Special thanks to the staff at The Crossing at Clarity Hospice. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Trinity Episcopal Church Music Fund or The Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home in Monroe, Louisiana.
