Gerald Patrick Parker of Victoria, Texas, passed from this life on May 11, 2025, at the age of 90. He was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, on August 5, 1934, to Cecil and Floy Sims Parker. Mr. Parker was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Valerie Vance Zipp Parker, and is survived by his children: Vance Parker (Karen) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Patrick Parker (Tracy) of Austin, Texas; and Sarah Parker Chisholm (David) of Brenham, Texas; and grandchildren Emily Parker Koski (Adam), Rebecca Parker, Harrison and Henry Parker, and Elizabeth and Grant Chisholm, as well as one great-grandchild.
Mr. Parker was a 1953 honors graduate of Duncan High School, Duncan, Oklahoma. He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering degree from The University of Texas at Austin and was a member of Pi Tau Sigma, an honorary engineering fraternity. He was employed in Florida for 10 years by Pratt and Whitney, primarily developing an engine for the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft. During this time, he received a Master of Engineering degree from The University of Florida. He later worked on the F-111 Aardvark fighter/bomber program for General Dynamics Corporation in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Mr. Parker was a Distinguished Military Graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and served his country as an officer at the U.S. Army Transportation Corps Research and Engineering Command, Ft. Eustis, Virginia.
In 1971, he moved with his family to Edna, Texas, as co-owner and president of City Motors, a Chevrolet and Chrysler new car dealership. He retired in 1998 and then moved with his wife to Victoria, Texas, in 1999. He has been a member of Rotary International since 1971 in the Edna Rotary Club, serving as president, and later, the Victoria Rotary Club. While in Edna, he served on the Edna Independent School District Board as a member and president. He also served on other boards in Jackson County. While in Victoria, he served on the Advisory Board of the Museum of the Coastal Bend. He was a member and former elder of First Presbyterian Church, Victoria.
Mr. Parker loved to travel (having visited all 7 of the world’s continents), hunt, fish, read, and play bridge.
Memorial services will be on June 12, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at Rosewood Funeral Home in Victoria, with burial in Memory Gardens at 2:00 p.m. in Edna, Texas. Pallbearers will be: Harrison Parker, Henry Parker, Grant Chisholm, David Chisholm, John Vance, and Roy Aimone.
Memorials may be sent to Rotary International (rotary.org), The University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering (cockrell.utexas.edu), or a charity of the sender’s choice.
Words of comfort may be shared at www.rosewoodfuneralchapel.com
