Leonard Parker

LEONARD PARKER Age 82, of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, formerly of Scotch Plains, NJ died on Monday, January 6, 2003 at Overlook Hospital, Summit, NJ. He was the beloved husband of Beatrice (nee Kieves); devoted father of Richard and Steven; and loving grandfather of Scott, Kerri, and Nathan. Len was born in the Bronx, NY and resided in the Bronx, Mamaronack, LI, Astoria, NY, Great Neck, LI, and Scotch Plains, NJ before moving to Palm Beach Gardens thirteen years ago. Mr. Parker graduated from Cornell University in 1942 with a bachelor's degree in horticulture. He served in the U.S. Army during W.W. II, receiving six Battle Medals and four Battle Stars. His unit liberated the Dachau death camp. Following W.W. II, he was a mole for the F.B.I. He was the owner/ operator of Parker Greenhouse in Scotch Plains, NJ for over 30 years, retiring in 1990. Mr. Parker was a member of B'nai Brith (Union County), The Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federation, the Holocaust Museum (Washington, DC), Cornell University Alumni Association, and American Nursery Men. Len and Bea were awarded the 1994 National Landscape Award by Hillary Clinton. Len's personal testimony concerning the Liberation of Death Camp Dachau was recorded by Steven Spielberg. Mr. Parker has won numerous horticultural awards and honors throughout his life, and has donated extensively to charity and educational interests. Funeral Services willl be conducted from Menorah Chapels at Millburn, 2950 Vauxhall Road, Union, NJ on Thursday, January 9, 2003 at 11:30 AM. Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge, NJ.