David Parker of Hansville WA died December 18 2023 on Bainbridge Island WA where he had raised a large family with his beloved wife Barbara. He was 101 years old. David’s life is hard to fathom in today’s terms. He was born in Winchester England on July 29, 1922 to Albert “Jack” and Katherine May (Teague) Parker. When he was just two months old, he sailed on the Empress of Britain to Canada with his parents and much older siblings Noel, Peter, and Becky. His eldest brother George awaited them in Portland, OR. David’s father and three brothers found work down river in the “planned city” of Longview, then under construction. The Albert Parker family was listed in Longview’s first census in 1923. They moved to Rainier OR across the Columbia River for a few years, the men commuting by boat. Small David would recall the sound of mill saws from across the river, the nighttime rumbling and mournful whistle of logging trains, and the snowy cone of Mount St. Helens. Moving back to Longview, he attended St. Helens and Kessler elementary schools and graduated from R.A. Long High School in 1940. At Washington State College (now University) he enjoyed friendships in Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Summers he worked at Longview Fibre Company. In 1942, David enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force serving in flying control at Camp Borden, Ontario. Returning to WSC at the end of World War II, he received his degree in architectural engineering in January 1950.

On one of his visits back home, his mother introduced him to his childhood acquaintance, the beautiful Barbara Ann Heppenstall. David had grown up only blocks from his bride to be, daughter of Thomas Earl and Cecile Heppenstall. Until the end, David was incredulous that Barbara had accepted his proposal in marriage. They were married in Longview in July 1950. For several years David worked for architectural firms in Portland and Seattle. From 1965, David worked as a civil service architect with Public Works at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Trident Nuclear Facility Project in Bremerton before retiring in 1984.

Barbara and David made their Foulweather Bluff cottage a year-round residence in 1990. They loved to walk everywhere, including beaches, neighborhoods, and cities. Their longer treks took them to the British Isles, France, Italy, Turkey, and New Zealand. Even at home his life was rich with small adventures and daily discoveries. It was not so much the distance, although he would happily tell you he logged in 5-6 miles a day, it was the exploring he loved the most—beach combing for agates, poking under leaves, and visiting his trillium haunts. He loved nature. But of all the natural wonders, there was one that David treasured most and that was his dear Barbara.

David is preceded in death by his wife Barbara, 2013, and their daughter Katherine Parker, 2018. The couple’s remaining children live in Washington State: Teague Parker (m. Susan), Cecilia Ann Parker (m. Howard Block), Mark Parker (m. Barbara Schmidt), Mary Parker-Hale, Rebecca Lundin (m. Lloyd “Butch”), Eugenie Piper (m. Jack), and David Wykeham Parker (m. Sherry). With eight children, 10 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren, his legacy continues.

David was laid to rest alongside Barbara at Longview Memorial Park, “in the valley of their childhood home.”

The family wishes to express their gratitude to Kaiser Permanente hospice and Wyatt House staff for end-of-life care.