Charley Parker

1934 - 2025

Charley Parker
07/15/1934 - 02/28/2025
Charley Bob Parker lived a life filled with curiosity, adventure, and love. Born in Dawson, Texas, to Ora Bell "Jack" Parker (Grubbs) and Floyd Pierce Parker, he carried with him the values of hard work, quiet determination, and an enduring appreciation for the people and experiences that shaped him. He passed peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of exploration, intellect, and unwavering devotion to his family.

Charley married the love of his life, Peggy Jordan, on May 30, 1959, and together they built a life of love, laughter, and devoted companionship. Their partnership spanned more than six decades, with Peggy remaining his devoted companion and the keeper of their shared memories. He was a loving father to two daughters, Jan (Castle Pines, CO) and Susanne (Pearland, TX), and an adoring grandfather to Benjamin (18), who was the light of his life. He also welcomed Jan's partner, Michelle, as part of the family, embracing the love and happiness she brought into their lives.

A proud graduate of Lamar University, Charley began his career as an electrical engineer, starting with Western Electric before following his true calling to NASA. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's famous call to reach the moon, Charley became part of history. As a Flight Control Engineer, he worked in "The Trench"-the front row of consoles in Mission Control where flight controllers managed critical operations during manned spaceflight.

Charley joined NASA during the Mercury program, gaining invaluable experience in the early days of human spaceflight. He went on to work through Project Gemini, where he helped lay the groundwork for the Apollo missions. During Apollo, he played a direct role in several missions, including serving as Head of Guidance for Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to orbit the moon. Later, while working full-time at NASA, he took night classes to learn computer programming, ultimately authoring software that controlled the space shuttle's payload drops.

Fittingly, on the day of his passing, seven planets aligned in the sky. It seems only right that Heaven made room for him to have a front-row seat for the event.

While working at NASA and later in retirement, Charley put his engineering skills to good use by volunteering in the sound booth at Park Place Baptist Church. For more than 20 years, he ran the audio for services, weddings, baptisms, and funerals, ensuring everything sounded just right. He especially enjoyed working with young men, teaching them the ins and outs of sound production and passing on his knowledge with care.

Charley loved his work and often said he felt lucky to have it-the engineering challenges were endlessly fulfilling, and he had great respect for the entire team of engineers, scientists, and colleagues who made space exploration possible. He took immense pride in working alongside some of the brightest minds of his generation, and his expertise left a lasting impact. One fellow engineer wrote that he learned more about flight control from Charley than he learned anywhere else-a testament to Charley's skill, patience, and ability to teach others in the high-stakes world of Mission Control.

Though Charley often kept his thoughts to himself, there was one place where he would open up-his back patio, sitting next to Peggy. There, with a cold beer in hand, he would tell stories from his childhood, from NASA, and from a well-lived life. In retirement, he spent countless hours on that patio, overlooking the 9th tee box, watching birds, and quietly enjoying the parade of golfers who shanked their shots from the pro tees. He collected the stray golf balls that found their way into his yard and, on occasion, would offer a few to the sheepish golfer brave enough to venture into their yard and retrieve their wayward shot.

Charley was a lifelong football fan. For years, he was an Oiler fan, which meant one thing-you did not root for the Cowboys. So when the Oilers packed up and left for Tennessee, he was a man without a team. But when Houston welcomed in the Texans franchise, he finally had an NFL team to call his own again. Besides watching the Texans on Sunday, every Saturday in the fall Charley could be found watching the Texas Longhorns on the gridiron, and whether it was a big game or just another Saturday, he never missed a chance to "get his Horns up."

Charley didn't need the spotlight. He preferred to listen, to observe, and to share his wisdom when it was needed most. His presence was steady, his love enduring, and his legacy immeasurable. He reached for the moon, but his true home was here on Earth, surrounded by the people he loved.

A private celebration of Charley's life will be held at a later date, where friends and family will gather to share stories, laughter, and memories of an extraordinary man.