William (Bill) H. Parker

Published 3:36 pm Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Maj. William (Bill) H Parker (USAF Ret), 90, of Thorsby, AL, died peacefully at Brookwood Medical Center Friday, January 11, 2019, after a short illness.

He was born November 16, 1928, in Blount Springs, AL. He graduated from the Thorsby Institute in 1947 and received a BS in Civil Engineering from Auburn University in 1952. Upon graduation, he took a commission with the USAF and served proudly for 25 years, first as a pilot with the 514th Fighter Squadron and later as a civil engineer. Some of his duty stations included Samsun Turkey, Chicksands RAFB England and Ubon RTAFB Thailand. After his military career, he continued employment in the private sector as a civil engineer for The Southern Company for 20 years and The Birmingham Airport Authority for 28 years where he was still employed at the time of his death. He was a pilot, a Vietnam Veteran, a respected member of his community, an amazing father and grandfather, and an avid gardener.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Irene (Butler) Parker of Collins Chapel AL, his wife, Gloria (Pearsall) Parker of Tring, England, and his sister, Doris Donald of Clanton, AL.

He is survived by his children, William H (Lisa) Parker Jr. of Mt. Dora FL, David S (Laura) Parker of Thorsby, AL, and Julie S (Abdul) Elkhatib of Thorsby AL, his 8 grandchildren, Marc (Liz) Parker of Birmingham AL, Laurel Eiland of Leesburg FL, Sarah (James) Parker of Charleston SC, Lauren (Heather) Parker of Rome NY, Zachariah Parker of Mt. Dora FL, Joanna Parker of Midlothian, VA, Kate Parker of Midlothian, VA, and Abdul Rahman Elkhatib of Thorsby, AL, and 3 great-grandchildren.

Interment was at the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, AL, on January 18, 2019, at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to The National Breast Cancer Foundation, P.O. Box 678572, Dallas, TX, 75267, or The Paralyzed Veterans of America, 801 18th St NW, Washington, DC, 20006.