William Parker passed away at his home in Goleta on November 12th. Bill was born to Roland Wayne Parker and Frances Margaret Parker on March 12, l930 in Willows, Ca. His father was a banker, and his mother was a teacher. He was the oldest of three, and while his youngest sibling Tom, has passed, he has a ninety-year-old sister named Roberta who lives on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Bill lived in Willows for the first seven years of his life, and then in Salinas until he reached young adulthood. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1953-1957; there he flew in aircraft carrier based airplanes as an equipment operator. At age 27 he was Honorably Discharged and completed his degree in engineering at Caltech. He married his wife Jeanette in l954, while in the navy. After living with her in San Diego, Los Angeles, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, he moved with her to Goleta in l970. He worked for Burroughs, Delco, and Litton as an electrical engineer for many years, even past retirement age. Bill lost his beloved wife to a battle with leukemia in 2018, after 63 years of marriage. Bill loved the Lord for much of his life and served many years at Trinity Episcopal Church on the vestry, and also as a pianist who traveled to rest homes in this general area to put on church services with his friend Dr. Tom Paul. In addition he served many years at Christ the King with finances, in partnership with Vicki Kennedy. He also sang in the choir as a baritone. After serving at this church for many years, he was happy to be a recipient of thoughtful friendship and birthday cards, especially from Sue Frietag, and Father Anchan. He was grateful for this community of believers’ continuing prayers for his healing. For years he helped heal others by displaying great generosity through donating over ten gallons of blood to the blood bank. All who knew him, especially his four children and eleven grandchildren, lived richer lives because of his faith, kindness, patience, great intellect, and deep musical knowledge. On reflecting on his full and blessed life, the majority of it spent here, in the crown jewel of the south coast, he said many times, “The Lord has been wonderfully good to me.”
