JIn Memoriam
John Thomas Parker Junior
ohn Thomas Parker Junior, a most beloved husband, father,
brother, son and friend, entered into eternal rest on Jan. 18,
2015 at the age of 50 in Charleston, S.C.
Born on Feb. 9, 1964, at Roper Hospital, John was lovingly
adopted by his mother and father Tommy and Nina Parker
through a beloved friend, Doctor Robert Johnson. He was
raised in a small house in Northbridge Terrace in West Ashley
that his father had built in 1961. For his entire childhood, this
home and neighborhood were the center of his universe. He
cherished every ounce of life that was given to him by his parents
and he forged life-long friendships throughout Charleston
and beyond. As his younger brother, I witnessed the way that,
even at an early age, people flocked to be by his side. He had
a charisma that was genuinely filled with caring and compassion
for anyone he ever met. Most people develop friendships
with different people at various stages of their lives, and those
friendships have a tendency to wither away with time. This was
never the case with John. Once you were his friend, he never
left your side. This is proven in the outpouring of love that has
been directed our way. John made a point of staying in touch and
IN MEMORIAM
remaining friends even as people’s lives took them far away and
down different paths.
John attended Westminster Presbyterian Church
Kindergarten, Orange Grove Elementary, Wallace Middle
School, Porter-Gaud High School (class of 1982) and Emory
University at Oxford and Atlanta where he graduated in 1986.
John was just beginning his life in Atlanta in 1986, when his
father fell ill, and John returned to Charleston to take his place
at his side at Parker Marine Contracting. John continued to lead
the company for the next 29 years alongside his father.
As a child, whether we were playing baseball or flashlight
tag, John was always a team captain, and he always sought to
include everyone and make it fair for both sides – that was
somewhat infuriating – but that was John. His greatest passions
in life were reading action novels and listening to music.
He introduced us all to Lord of the Rings and Star Wars in the
1970s, and he was probably the first leader of a neighborhood
Dungeons and Dragons Club. He was also a huge fan of wrestling
and Ric Flair, and he never missed a match at Charleston
County Hall on Friday nights. From the first day our “10
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