Grady Leon Parker

Grady Leon Parker, 87, of Forest, died Wednesday, November 29 following a brave battle with prostate cancer.

Born January 21, 1930, in Wolf Mountain, N.C., Grady was the son of the late William Oscar Parker and Amanda Stutts Parker.

Grady attended high school in Mill Springs, N.C. He joined the United States Air Force in 1951, attaining the rank of staff sergeant the Strategic Air Command’s 306th Bombardment Squadron.  While on leave, he met Cecile Ownsby of Rutherfordton, N.C., and the couple married in 1955.

After graduating from N.C. State University in 1958 with a B.S. in electrical engineering, Grady went to work for Appalachian Power Company in Bluefield, W.Va. He spent his entire 34-year career with the company, retiring in 1992 as line and station superintendent for the Lynchburg division.

Grady was strongly committed to community service. In West Virginia, he served as local president of the Kiwanis Club, the Heart Association, and the United Way. He was a member of the Community Council, two chambers of commerce, the volunteer fire department, local and state PTAs, and was elected to the Mercer County Board of Education. In Lynchburg, Grady volunteered many hours to St. Andrew Presbyterian Church as a deacon, elder, committeeman, and handyman, and organized the annual fish fry. He also enjoyed coaching little league baseball and basketball.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Cecile Parker; two sons: Michael G. Parker of Frankfurt, Germany, and Douglas L. Parker of San Francisco, Ca.; a granddaughter, Anastasia; daughters-in-law Petra Breuer-Parker and Leigh Phillips; and a sister, Evelyn Patrick of Saint Louis, Mo. His older brother William O. Parker Jr., and youngest sister Lorene Barnes preceded him in death.

Grady will be remembered as a gifted storyteller, a generous and charismatic friend, and an avid outdoorsman, especially fishing. He was a skilled craftsman, making custom furniture, cabinets and staircases, much from wood he logged himself. His various pursuits, as athlete, inventor, gardener and beekeeper, are testament to his many natural abilities, boundless curiosity, and enthusiasm for life.

A memorial service followed by a celebration of his life will be held at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church on January 6, 2018, at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church Building Fund.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family. To send condolences please visit obituaries.tharpfuneralhome.com.

The family is collecting remembrances of Grady by inviting people who knew him to respond with a word, sentence or story to the question: “What will you always remember about Grady Parker?” Please email your submission to [email protected] with the subject heading: “Memorial Service for Grady.”  Some of the responses may be read or displayed at the memorial service, so anyone who prefers their comments remain private should indicate that in their email. A response by December 17th is appreciated, though all remembrances are welcome.