Terry Parker

Terry E. Parker went home to be with the Lord on Friday, June 12 with loving family by his side, just shy of his 88th birthday. Terry was born in Bellingham and grew up in Lynden, Washington, with his sister, Sandra, his mother, Laura (Coffelt) Parker, and father, Robert Ellis Parker. His sister, Sandra, was six years younger and remembers him as a great big brother. He taught her, a lefty, to bat right-handed; included her in kick-the-can matches at dusk; and taught her how to light firecrackers, which ended in a scarred foot for her and a heap of trouble for him. He played baseball, was in school plays and was a member of the Reserves in high school. He spent time getting up to mischief with a close group of friends, Clayton Tillema and Ronnie Smith. Terry was always up for an adventure and left small town Washington to see a bit of the world, joining the Navy after high school graduation in 1956 and spending four years in such far-flung places as Sasebo, Japan, Kodiak, Alaska, and San Diego, CA. He concluded his service on the USS Sperry, then spent the next two years in the Reserves. Returning to the Northwest, he went to college first at Western Washington University in Bellingham, then at the University of Washington, where he graduated with a business degree. He reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Sharon Marchant, in Bellingham and they were married on June 30, 1962. After his graduation from UW, they moved to Portland, OR for his first job. But they both missed Seattle, so after a year-and-a-half Terry got a job with Kilsby Tube Supply in Seattle. Eventually, Terry joined the Seattle Police Department, where he learned to ride a motorcycle with fellow officers. He and Sharon took road trips on his motorcycle with his partner, Ron Copeland, and his wife Sherrie, camping as they explored the Pacific Northwest. They once famously stopped in Leavenworth in search of a campsite, but when the manager saw they were on motorcycles he said they didn’t like their “type,” and they should keep on riding. Asked by his kids if they told the guy they were police officers, Terry replied, “No, we figured we didn’t much like his type, either.” They bought their first home in Kent and welcomed their first two children, Mara and Michael there, then built a home themselves with help from family on almost five acres in Enumclaw, affectionately known by all as the Cedar House. Their second two children, Monika and Laura, were born there. Although they liked the area, Terry was not a city person and tired of working in Seattle. A lover of the outdoors, they make a great leap and moved the family to Eagle River, Alaska in 1978, joining Sharon’s sister and brother-in-law, Irene and Bill Martin. They adored Alaska and after shadowing Billy at his construction company, Terry founded Parker Construction, Inc. building homes on spec in the rapidly growing area, with Sharon doing the accounting. He loved hunting and fishing with friends and family and working with his subcontractors, who he thought of as family. He was an active member of Joy Luthern Church and donated his services to help build their new church building there. In the mid-eighties when the Alaskan economy floundered, they reluctantly moved away, settling in East Wenatchee, WA. He was a hard worker and despite the challenges of supporting his family of six in a new town, he always managed to provide for them. He eventually found work with the Chelan County Regional Justice Center as a Corrections Officer, where he worked for nearly 20 years and retired as a sergeant. His kids recall meeting people in the community he knew through his work, and they spoke of his fairness and support towards their rehabilitation. Terry was a remarkably gifted gardener who perhaps missed his calling as a landscape designer. He built an elaborate tiered garden with multiple koi ponds and waterfalls at their last home in East Wenatchee. He and Sharon were always planting new things and the family jokes that he didn’t have just a green thumb, but a green arm. He could spit watermelon seeds off the back porch and have a bumper crop of melons the following summer. He also loved reading, history, science fiction, playing solitaire, and animals, especially his cats. His kids vividly recall driving “adventures” after church in Alaska, where he would find a random Forest Service Road, pile the kids in the family Suburban, and drive deep into the mountains along treacherous roads until Sharon, afraid of heights, insisted they’d gone far enough! He was known to let the kids ride around on the top of the cab of his pick-up, holding onto the construction rack as he drove around unpaved roads in areas newly cleared for construction. The kids were of course sworn to secrecy, “Don’t tell your mother!” He was also an unwavering supporter of his kids’ athletic pursuits, coaching baseball teams, umping behind the plate at softball games, and driving over the mountains to college track meets. But wherever he was, he was always eager to get back home and even invented his own phrase to express his extreme desire to get a move on, telling his family, “Let’s went!” Uncommonly for his generation, he was as equally supportive of his daughters’ pursuits as those of his son, whether it was sports, travel, or studies. He loved his children unconditionally and until the very end of his life he always insisted on paying for meals for his family at restaurants. His grandchildren fondly recall time spent in his garden with him and playing cards, a Parker family tradition. Terry loved Hawaii and given his druthers would have likely chosen to vacation there above all else. But he gamely traveled to the East Coast to visit his eldest daughter and family and enjoyed visiting historical sites and National Parks. He also supported Sharon’s desire to see Europe and Israel and travelled to both places with her after retirement. Their visit to Israel with members of their Congregation, Kehillah Shuvu, in 2018, fulfilled a lifelong dream and was deeply rewarding for them both. When Saron decided to learn Hebrew in her 70s, Terry gamely joined right in. He was never idle and famously dedicated hours to building elaborate built-in bookcases for Sharon whenever they moved to a new house (which they did often). They joked that when he finally completed them, it meant they were likely to move again soon. Terry spent the last five years of his life living with his daughter, Monika, son-in-law, Jeff, their three boys, and a menagerie of animals which greatly enriched and extended his life. He and Sharon attended services regularly at Kehilla Shuvu with their daughter Laura and her children, and their son Michael and daughter-in-law, Melissa, which brought them great joy. Terry lost his beloved wife, Sharon, in October of this past year and he missed her dearly. He often remarked at what a beautiful woman she was and he was a patient and supportive spouse to her for the 63 years they had together. Terry was also proceeded in death by his brother-in-law Jim April and sister-in-law, Irene Martin. He is survived by his four children and their spouses, Mara (Santiago Gassó), Michael (Melissa), Monika (Jeff Haynes) and Laura (Daniel Moser); his grandchildren Ronin, Soren, Mateo, Colt, Soledad, Nash, Raiden, and Memphis; his sister Sandra (Parker) April; his brother-in-law, Billy Martin; his maternal aunt, Aletha (Coffelt) Bring; and his nieces and nephews Royce, Rodney, Todd and Desiree and their families. The family will hold a private memorial service. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to plant and nurture something that will bring you great joy in Terry’s honor.

Terry Parker

June 20, 1938 - June 12, 2026