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Robert Louis Parker, of Sweetwater, Tennessee, passed away on September 10, 2023, from sudden cardiac arrest; he was 89.
Robert was born March 9, 1934, to Clarence Monroe Parker and Edna Irene (Tillett) Parker in Holdenville, Oklahoma. After graduating Ada High School in 1951, Robert was admitted to West Point Military Academy. His orders were to report on July 1, 1952; however, upon further contemplation of a future as a commissioned officer in the US Army, Robert resigned his West Point appointment and instead entered Bethany Peniel College in Bethany, Oklahoma. It was at Bethany where Robert met his wife, Beverly Lois McAllister. Robert and Beverly married on July 10, 1954, and moved to Ada, Oklahoma where Robert earned a B.S. with a double major in mathematics and physics from East Central University.
Robert worked his way through college as a block and brick mason. He later became licensed as an architect in both Oklahoma and California; Robert’s first professional position was as an Associate Architect in the firm of Monroe Parker, AIA, & Associates, then became a partner in Parker, James, Parker & Associates, both in Ada, Oklahoma.
Robert and Beverly lived in a modest home that Robert built in Ada, Oklahoma, and it was in Ada that their four children were born: Robert Louis Parker, Jr, David Randal Parker, Pamela Gayle Parker Oden, and Timothy Kent Parker. In 1965, the family of six moved to southern California, where Robert joined C. F. Braun & Co, Alhambra, California. He was Project Manager and Director of the Architectural Group until 1971. In 1972, he joined Beverly Enterprises, Pasadena, California. While at Beverly Enterprises he held several positions including Director of Construction (1972), Vice President – General Hospitals (1974), Vice President and President of Shastina Properties (1976), Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and President of the Western Division (1980), Senior Vice President and Division President for Retirement Living and Home Health (1982), and Executive Vice President (1983).
Robert held Directorships at Las Encinas Hospital, The Oaks of Pasadena, Treatment Centers of America, and Pasadena Christian School. He was Founding Chairman of the Foothill Private Industry Council and Commissioner of the Planning and Zoning Board. In 1984 Robert volunteered his services to First Church of the Nazarene, Pasadena, California, to facilitate completing the construction of the new church campus. He also volunteered his services at Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California. In the early 1990s, Robert co-founded Omega Healthcare Investors.
After more than twenty-five years in California, he and Beverly returned to Oklahoma where Robert served on the Board of Directors for Southern Nazarene University (SNU) and as a member of the SNU Foundation. Robert and Beverly were members of the First Church of the Nazarene as well as ardent supporters of SNU. In 2000, Robert was honored by SNU for his service on the Development and Building Committee for the construction of Southern Plaza, a retirement community. In 2002, Robert was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from SNU. Robert and Beverly enjoyed 60 years of marriage.
After Beverly’s death, Robert married Glenda Burger Hetrick in Hesperia, California, on June 14, 2014. Shortly after their marriage, Robert and Glenda spent 18 months in Eswatini volunteering at the RFM Hospital and HopeAlive268, an organization for orphaned children. Glenda has two children: William Paul Hetrick and Lynda Renee Hetrick Arroyo.
Robert and Glenda enjoyed nearly a decade together – visiting family and traveling widely. Robert’s favorite journeys in these last years were to Africa, China, and the Antarctic. Robert was an avid reader, never far from his Kindle. He relished well-crafted words – committing to memory many poems and songs. Besides literature and reading, Robert also appreciated music. People who knew Robert often remarked on his knowledge of and love for classical music as well as the joy with which he sang hymns on a Sunday morning.
Robert’s faith and his business acumen were inextricable, and it was from this core that he moved about the world – with integrity, certainty, generosity, and compassion. Robert followed his convictions; he loved through action, and his actions of service and kindness touched the lives of many people near and far.
Robert was predeceased by his first wife, Beverly Lois McAllister Parker and his siblings, Nina Ruth Parker Bartlett and Clarence Monroe Parker, Jr. He is survived by his second wife, Glenda Burger Parker, of Sweetwater, Tennessee; sister, Frances Parker McKinnis, of Owasso, Oklahoma; son, Robert Louis Parker, Jr. (Carol), of Duarte, California; son, David Randal Parker (Sharon), of Madera, California; daughter, Pamela Gayle Parker Oden, of San Diego, California; son, Timothy Kent Parker (Heidi), of Montpelier, Vermont; son, William Paul Hetrick (Carol), of Bloomington, Indiana; and daughter, Lynda Renee Hetrick Arroyo (Ricardo), of Siteki, Eswatini, Africa. He is also survived by 16 grandchildren – Stephanie Parker (David), Kimberly Parker (Ryan), Brian Price (Leah), Sarah Pizano (Jeff), Scott Parker (Sarah), David Parker (Saramae), Jennifer Oden Davenport (Eric), Matthew Oden (Virginia), Samuel Oden (Amy), Olivia Parker, Alexandra Stowell (Ben), Gabrielle Hetrick, Haven Rector (Joshua), Elizabeth Reider (David), Davis Clayton (Ashley), and Weston Clayton – and 17 great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene, Bethany, Oklahoma, on Saturday, October 28, 2023, at 2:00 in the afternoon. Family Visitation will be October 27, from 6-8 in the evening at Mercer-Adams Funeral Chapel, 3925 N. Asbury Ave., Bethany, Oklahoma.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Parker Endowed Scholarships, Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, Oklahoma.
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