Obituary for Joseph A. Parker, Jr.
Joseph Albert Parker, Jr., of Harleysville, formerly of Sellersville and Perkasie, passed away on Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Grand View Hospital, West Rockhill Township. He was 90.
Joe was the beloved husband of Jeanne (Barndt) Parker. They would have celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary on May 18.
Born in Sellersville, he was the son of the late Joseph A. Sr. and Clara (Zurawski) Parker. He was a 1950 graduate of Sell-Perk High School, where he had played on the football, baseball, and basketball teams.
Following graduation, Joe played on the Greenjackets football team as well as basketball for the Perkiomen Indians in the Big Nine Conference following his discharge from the Army.
Joe was employed for three years at the former U. S. Gauge Division, Ametek, Inc., Sellersville before joining the Army in 1953, where he played for the Camp Gordon basketball team.
Following his discharge in 1955, Joe returned to the Gauge, working there for 42 years as a product support manager in the Engineering Department.
Always an avid sportsman, Joe played for Trinity Lutheran Church, Perkasie in the area Church Softball League, where his hitting helped the team win many local and state titles. In later years he coached Little League and Connie Mack teams and ran a basketball clinic for many years with the late Kenneth Kratz.
Mr. Parker earned an Associate degree from Penn State University, Allentown.
A longtime member of St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, Perkasie, Mr. Parker had served as a Deacon.
He was also a member of the Perkasie Historical Society and had served with the former Perkasie Town Watch. In 1996, in recognition of his decades-long athletic achievements, Joe was inducted into the Quakertown-Pennridge Sports Hall of Fame.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Parker is survived by his children: J. Craig Parker and his wife, Judi, Lori Parker, and Thomas Parker and his wife, Beth; five grandchildren: Joshua Parker and his wife, Jamie, Nathan Parker and his wife, Lori, David Jamison and his wife, Jacqueline, Luke Parker, and Ian Parker; a great-grandson, Colin Parker; a sister-in-law, Barbara Boughter; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Claire Portik and Marilyn Wright, and a brother, George Parker.
His Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 3, in St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, 110 North Sixth Street, Perkasie, PA 18944, where a visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until time of service.
Interment with military honors will follow in St. Stephen’s U.C.C. Cemetery, Perkasie.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mr. Parker’s name may be made to St. Stephen’s U.C.C. Memorial Fund at the address above.
Joe was the beloved husband of Jeanne (Barndt) Parker. They would have celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary on May 18.
Born in Sellersville, he was the son of the late Joseph A. Sr. and Clara (Zurawski) Parker. He was a 1950 graduate of Sell-Perk High School, where he had played on the football, baseball, and basketball teams.
Following graduation, Joe played on the Greenjackets football team as well as basketball for the Perkiomen Indians in the Big Nine Conference following his discharge from the Army.
Joe was employed for three years at the former U. S. Gauge Division, Ametek, Inc., Sellersville before joining the Army in 1953, where he played for the Camp Gordon basketball team.
Following his discharge in 1955, Joe returned to the Gauge, working there for 42 years as a product support manager in the Engineering Department.
Always an avid sportsman, Joe played for Trinity Lutheran Church, Perkasie in the area Church Softball League, where his hitting helped the team win many local and state titles. In later years he coached Little League and Connie Mack teams and ran a basketball clinic for many years with the late Kenneth Kratz.
Mr. Parker earned an Associate degree from Penn State University, Allentown.
A longtime member of St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, Perkasie, Mr. Parker had served as a Deacon.
He was also a member of the Perkasie Historical Society and had served with the former Perkasie Town Watch. In 1996, in recognition of his decades-long athletic achievements, Joe was inducted into the Quakertown-Pennridge Sports Hall of Fame.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Parker is survived by his children: J. Craig Parker and his wife, Judi, Lori Parker, and Thomas Parker and his wife, Beth; five grandchildren: Joshua Parker and his wife, Jamie, Nathan Parker and his wife, Lori, David Jamison and his wife, Jacqueline, Luke Parker, and Ian Parker; a great-grandson, Colin Parker; a sister-in-law, Barbara Boughter; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Claire Portik and Marilyn Wright, and a brother, George Parker.
His Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 3, in St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, 110 North Sixth Street, Perkasie, PA 18944, where a visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until time of service.
Interment with military honors will follow in St. Stephen’s U.C.C. Cemetery, Perkasie.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mr. Parker’s name may be made to St. Stephen’s U.C.C. Memorial Fund at the address above.