Larry Madison Parker

Larry Madison Parker, 84, of Cary NC, beloved husband, father, Granddaddy, and Gandy, completed his earthly journey and returned to the arms of Jesus on August 27, 2025. Born on July 11, 1941, in Charlotte NC, Larry was the eldest son of the late Harvey Madison and Verna Lee Smith Parker. He grew up surrounded by a large extended family, including cousins who were best friends. He had happy memories of hot summer days that ended with an RC and a Moon Pie. In his early teens, a test given at his Charlotte public school earned him a full scholarship to Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. He would recall how out of place he was at the prep school that attracted mostly well-off students. And yet he excelled academically and went on to be awarded another full scholarship to Yale University, where he studied electrical engineering. It was while he was at Yale that he eloped with Bernice Long, the love of his life. After graduation, the couple moved to Albuquerque, where Larry completed his education with a master's degree from the University of New Mexico. In 1965, Larry began a 30-year career at IBM with the opening of the computer giant in Research Triangle Park. Over the years, his job would take him and his family on assignments to Armonk, NY; Nice, France; Seoul, South Korea, and ultimately home to North Carolina. After retiring from IBM, he joined Bernice's team at Premier Designs, and later became a tax preparer for H&R Block. Long teased for being the family nerd, Larry had a brilliant mind. Decades before remote controls were commonplace, he devised a system that allowed him to mute TV commercials from his arm chair. He could fix most anything, and his daughters often called upon him for help after they had moved to homes of their own. Larry also loved the outdoors. He spent many a vacation on South Carolina beaches, and went on numerous backpacking adventures with his brother Mike. Larry loved his family fiercely. His girls were brought up traveling the world and in a home full of laughter and fun. He braved youth trips with his grandchildren and looked forward to weekly lunches with his great grandchildren. All the while, God was the head of his household and Larry led by example. He was active in all the churches where he was a member, especially Westwood Baptist Church in Cary, serving as a teacher, deacon and church moderator among many other roles. His family will miss his laughter most of all. Surviving are his devoted wife of 63 years, Bernice Long Parker; his daughters Cindy Parker Schaefer (Glenn) of Cary NC, Shannon Parker Simpson (Dean) of Apex NC; grandchildren Erin Schaefer, Brian Schaefer (Logan), Kevin Schaefer, Ashlee Hellman (Austin), and Will Simpson; and great-grandchildren Lily and Lucas Inagaki, Noah Schaefer, and Daphne and Ophie Hellman. He is also survived by his brothers, Jim Parker (Carol) of The Villages, Fla., and Mike Parker (Pat) of Clemmons NC. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Grace Church Cary, 3725 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary NC 27518. The family will receive visitors beginning at 10 a.m. Casual dress is encouraged. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Transitions LifeCare (transitionslifecare.org), 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh NC 27607; or Cure SMA (curesma.org), 925 Busse Road, Elk Grove Village IL 60007.