David L. Parker

David Lowell Parker died on January 20, 2026. He was 83 years old.

Born in New York, NY on November 4, 1942, David was the first of Robert and Dorothy (Boynton) Parker's four children, whom they raised in Massachusetts. David attended the Mount Hermon School followed by Amherst College, where he played hockey. Upon graduating in 1964 he volunteered during the Vietnam era to serve as a supply corps officer on a destroyer, the USS Bradley. David went on to earn his Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and took a position teaching at Brown University, where he met Virginia Schmidt. They were married for fifty years and raised their family in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. David transitioned into healthcare administration, adding an M.B.A. from Boston University.

David was a passionate lover of literature, history, and classical music. He performed for over forty years as a member of The Providence Singers. He is survived by his wife Virginia Schmidt Parker, MD; sons Matthew, an attorney in Providence, and Ted, a school principal in New Jersey; five grandchildren; and his siblings Jonathan, of Sonoma, CA; Christopher, of Boxford, MA; and Susan, of Lakeville, CT.

Burial with Military Honors will be held privately at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association. For more information or to make a contribution, please visit www.alz.org.

To share a memory or offer condolences, please visit carpenterjenks.com