Gary Glenn Parker

Gary Glenn Parker, Sr.,80, was carried into the arms of Jesus Christ his Savior on Saturday, October 8, 2022. He was preceded in death by his grandparents John & Ann Parker; Milliard & Bessie Medley Long; his mother Lillian Long Parker; his sister's husband Ed Horner; his uncle Paul Parker; his aunt and uncle Joy Long & Rudy Cardenas; and other aunts and uncles; his nephew Paul McKee, Sr. He is survived by his wife of 22 years Susan Loriot Parker; his father William Parker; sister Linda Horner; his brother Winston Parham (Myrna); his children Laura Parker (Sue Turcotte); Gary Parker, Jr. (Jeremy Dewey); his granddaughter Olivia Parker; nephews Phillip Parker (JoJo) and Micheal McKee (Stacey), his nieces Erica Kelley and Andrea Horner, Christie Parker (Jared Delaney); his grandnephews Paul McKee, Jacob & Avery McKee, Christian Kelley; his grandnieces Chelsea & Lauren Parker, Ashley & Kaitlyn Kelley; his cousins Melissa Mihalevich (Tony) and Dolf Cardenas (Linda). And many other cousins. Gary was formed by a long line of influential people. His two grandmothers were ministers. His grandfather John was a minister and railroad engineer. His uncle Paul was a successful attorney. His father is a self-taught engineer who was a field rep for many high-rise building curtain walls. His mother was a musical therapist who played a benefit for her church, Maranatha Church of the Nazarene, Paramus, NJ, at Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. His uncle Rudy Cardenas was a world famous juggler. Gary was born in Baltimore on November 27, 1941. And to hear him tell it: saved his father from fighting overseas in WWII. His father entered the Navy. Gary studied history and religion at Mars Hill College and obtained his Master of Divinity at Southern Seminary. After a short term as pastor to a couple of churches, he entered the navy and worked in the chaplain's department as a personnel man. On leaving the navy, he lived in Southeastern Kentucky where he was interim pastor of two Presbyterian churches in Lothair and Vicco in Perry County. He also worked for Comp Care (now Kentucky River Community Care) playing his twelve string guitar in school gyms lecturing as a drug educator. In 1984 he was in a car accident receiving a traumatic frontal lobe brain injury affecting his short-term and sequence memories. He continued a positive and encouraging ministry. He was a poet and produced many great poems in various meter and rhyme sequences. He experienced a trip to Washington DC with the million man movement sponsored by Promise Keepers. And went to Nagpur India with members of Broadway Baptist Church Lexington KY who had ordained Sudnyan Bansod the founder of a seminary LEADS Outreach. He was a chaplain for families of adult children with developmental disabilities in a program started at Southland Christian Church Lexington KY with the acronym: Christians Helping All Live Life Equally Needing God's Encouragement, CHALLENGE. He ministered to and was ministered by many friends who passed during their friendship. He was a Kentucky Colonel. In 2019 he laid down his guitar due to Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus and beginning Alzheimer's. A funeral service for Rev. Parker will be 1PM Friday, October 14 at Calvary Baptist Church with Dr. Monty Stallins officiating. Burial will be at Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church Cemetery in Flintstone GA, 1 PM October 18, 2022 with Rev. Josh Parham officiating. Visitation will be 11am till the time of the service on Friday at the church. Kerr Brothers-Harrodsburg Road is in charge of the arrangements. Donations are encouraged to Calvary Baptist Church, 150 E High St, Lexington KY 40507; Cardinal Hill Rehab, 2050 Versailles Rd., Lexington, KY 40504; Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund, PO Box 1401, Georgetown KY 40301: And remember to pay your traffic tickets.