Floyd Cottner Parker Jr. MD

1933 - 2017

Floyd Cottner Parker Jr., MD, 84, of Bernalillo, joined his Savior in Heaven Tuesday, July 11, 2017. He was born June 10, 1933, in Raton to Roxie and Floyd Parker Sr. followed by his sister, Faustine, in 1936.
Floyd attended school in Tucumcari, was an avid saxophone player, and had a swing band the last years of high school. He attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas from 1952 to 1954, whereupon he was accepted to medical school at the University of Colorado. Floyd met Betty Cloninger at Baylor, whom he married June 12, 1954, in Goldthwaite, Texas.
While in medical school Floyd and Betty had their first two daughters, Susan Loraine, born Oct. 26, 1955, followed by Joyce Kay on Jan. 22, 1957. Anna Lynn followed soon after on March 23, 1960, while Floyd was doing his Internship at Harris Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.
Upon completion of his Internship, Floyd joined the U.S. Air Force and became a Captain and served in the capacity of flight surgeon, while stationed in Tucson. He and Betty were blessed with a 4th child, Helen Margaret, born on June 24, 1961. Helen later died on April 26, 1962 of SIDS.
The family moved to Tucumcari in 1962, after he was honorably discharged from the Air Force, and Floyd opened a private medical clinic. Baby girl Parker was born Dec. 19, 1962, and died from meningitis two days later on Dec. 21.
While in Tucumcari, Floyd ran a string of racehorses on the New Mexico circuit, and also dabbled in sheep farming in Colorado as a hobby.
On Dec. 1, 1963, their sixth child Melanie Kay was born. Floyd built a thriving medical practice. He sincerely cared for his patients, and had a great bedside manner.
In the summer of 1968, Floyd and Betty divorced, Betty took their four girls to Texas and Floyd moved to Farmington where he established a medical practice for 23 years. Floyd married JoAnn Stephens, and they made a life together for over 10 years, raising her son Sammy and adopting a baby boy, Jimmy in 1972. Floyd became very active with the Navajo Indian tribe and was an advocate for them and other local tribes. He established the San Juan National Bank in Farmington, and served as Chairman of the Board. Their son Jimmy died in an accident in Dec. of 1975. Floyd and JoAnn divorced in 1979. He later married Naomi Welch. Floyd was the Vice-Presidential running mate for the Populist Party in the Presidential election of 1988. He cared deeply about his country and wanted to make a difference. After dabbling in politics and running a very busy practice in Farmington, he returned to Tucumcari for a few years and practiced medicine part time. He later retired to Los Lunas where he and Naomi became owners of Parker and Parker Oil and Gas, Inc. and Parko, Inc. Floyd jumped into the oil and gas business, learning all aspects of it. It served him well in his retirement years.
Floyd survived a bout with colon cancer in 2002. He and Naomi divorced in 2012. JoAnn and Floyd found their way back to each other later that year, and remarried. He survived mouth cancer in 2014, and after having a non-related emergency surgery last month, he just could not regain his strength, and lost his battle.
Floyd and JoAnn lived in Bernalillo the past four years. He will be greatly missed by all.
Floyd will always be an inspiration to his remaining daughters and wife, in the fine man that he was, excellent doctor, and loving father and husband. He helped many people in his lifetime with his medical skill and compassion, and graced the lives of all he touched.
Floyd was preceded in death by both parents, two daughters and an adopted son. He is survived by his wife, JoAnn, her son Sammy, and granddaughters Dianna and Samantha, Samantha's husband, James Donning, and son Isaac of Albuquerque, his four daughters and their husbands, Susan and Bruce Lousberg of Mount Pleasant, Texas, Joyce and Matthew Holt of Lucas, Texas, Annie and Charlie Scoggin of Bosque Farms, and Melanie and Matt Lees of Waco, Texas, step-daughters Rita Johnson and Tina Parker of Los Lunas, Rita's husband Fred, and Tina's son Corey Weigand and wife Lauren, four other grandchildren and their spouses, Amanda and Chase Hunt, Trevor, Callan, and Colten and Haley Lees, and two great-grandchildren, Ryan and Lucas Hunt, his sister, Faustine Cox, her husband Gene, and daughter Debbie, her son, Jerry Knowles, daughter Tonya and husband Bill Cone, their daughter Genae, son Kit and his wife Ashton, with kids Acie, Quincie, and Dallie., Gene Jr. and wife Tryndi and their children, Kaiden, Kelton, Karson, and daughter Khaeden, and husband Tyler Mehl, all of the Tucumcari/Logan area.
A graveside service will be at 2 p.m. today, July 15 in the Tucumcari Cemetery.