Kenneth Dean Parker

Kenneth Dean Parker, 87, of Franklin, N.C. passed away Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 in a Macon County care facility. Born in Winthrop, Iowa, Kenneth grew up in the Iowa area where he eventually met Jean at a local dance. Their love blossomed and they spent the next 67 years happily married. Kenneth was a man of many callings and answered each one with purpose. Over the years, he built more than businesses, he built opportunities. Kenneth loved children and together with his wife, went on to start one of the first daycare centers in the Cedar Rapids area, where he cared for children like family. While working at the center, he was able to spend precious time with his own two children. Kenneth and his family moved to Minnesota, where he fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning an auto parts store. Always a dreamer, he attained his pilot license and purchased his own airplane and launched an aerial photography service when most people still saw it as a novelty. Kenneth also ran a screen-printing shop with a pride of a craftsman, but his most meaningful work was not measured in profit, it was in people. As a volunteer Baptist preacher, inside the prison system, he brought scripture, dignity and hope into a place most forgot. In every season of his life, whether in business or in ministry, he lived with a builder's mind and a servant's heart. After retiring, Kenneth and Jean traveled all over the U.S. with memorable stops in California and Alaska.
He was the son of the late Vere L. and Dorothy Campbell Parker. He was also preceded in death by a granddaughter, Jennifer Parker.
Surviving are his wife of 67 years, Jean Parker; a daughter, Colleen Shermer, of Franklin; a son, Peter Parker, of Keller, Texas; four grandchildren, Kristina, Daryl, Jessica and Dustin; 10 great-grandchildren, Brayden, Greyson, Samuel, Lucille, Charlotte, Emma, Makayla, Tatum, Lauren and Anderson; and one great-great-grandson, Lorai.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Ivie Funeral Home, Hayesville: iviefuneralhome.com is in charge of all arrangements.