Donald Norman Parker

PARKER, Donald Norman, Died peacefully in his sleep 26 July 2019 in Sarasota, FL. He was 85 years old. Born in Lake Mahopac, New York on March 7, 1934 to William Theodore Parker and Beatrice Mildred Merritt, Donald was the younger sibling to Doris. Donald attended elementary, middle and high school at Mahopac Central School and graduated Class of 1951. He was involved in playing football, basketball and baseball, as well as active in the Drama department acting in several plays including “We Shook the Family Tree” and “Springtime for Susie”, and played trombone in the band. He always said the school was so small you had no choice but to join everything. Dad owned many cars in his life but the first was a 1932 Ford Hot Rod that he built as a teenager. It was sold in 1955 to purchase a 1954 Jaguar XK120M convertible which was sold in 1960 after marrying and having his first child.

Don’s first work was for Electro-Mechanical Research (EMR) Telemetry as a summer student in 1952 in the telemetry test department in a three story house in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Graduating from the New York Institute of Applied Arts and Science in 1953, he went to work for EMR full time in CT. When he went into the Navy in 1957, the Company moved to Sarasota, FL. Upon discharge from the Navy in 1959, he went back to work for them in Sarasota and spent 42 years with them under numerous corporate name changes. He retired in 1995 from the latest company to own them, L3-Communications. His work spanned just about every job description in the company from testing to HR director and Credit Union President to finally as a purchaser at his retirement. EMR products have been used in many space projects such as Project Mercury, Project Gemini, Ranger 7 and the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions. Throughout his life, education was always a priority earning an Associate in Science from Manatee Junior College in 1965, a Bachelor of Science from Nova University in 1987 and a Masters in Business Administration from Nova University in 1989.

Donald was predeceased by his parents William and Beatrice Parker, sister Doris, his wife, Dolores M. Parker, nee Keating and son, Derek Richard Parker. He is survived by his daughter, Pamela Parker Martin and her husband Peter of Bradenton, FL, their daughters Jane Marie Martin (husband Brandon Haney) and Sarah Ann Martin and a son Matthew Peter Martin of Bradenton, FL. He is further survived by son, Donald Norman Parker II (wife Rui Wang), their daughters Allyssa Michele Parker and Rayna Meiye Parker.

Interment will be held at the Sarasota National Cemetery on August 14th where he will be reunited with his beloved Dolores. Memorials, Mass & Sympathy cards may be addressed to Mrs. Pamela Martin, 5207 45th Street East, Bradenton, FL 34203.

May he rest in Peace in his Heavenly Father’s House forever.