Tex D Parker

Tex D Parker

“Beloved son, husband, father, and grandpa”

May 10, 1928 - February 23, 2020

Tex D Parker was born May 10, 1928 in Kanarraville, Utah and died peacefully in his home in Vista, California on February 23, 2020 at the age of 91 due to the ravages of Alzheimer’s Disease. He is the son of John Dee Parker and Effa Mariah Mulliner and he had three brothers and two sisters. Tex married Wanda Jean Lewallen on June 3, 1950 in Long Beach, California and they raised four children: Rickie Lynn Parker, Sherry Jean (Parker) Lilly, Tex Wayne Parker, and Laura Lee (Parker) Nall. He served faithfully as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all of his life.

He was known as Tex, and no he never lived in Texas. Legend has it he was named after his dad’s favorite sheep dog. His father was a sheep herder and was gone months at a time so he learned to work hard at a young age. His first responsibility on the family farm was milking a cow at 5 years of age with a child’s bucket and feeding the chickens. As he matured and his brothers left to fight in WWII, full responsibility of milking the cows and other chores fell on his shoulders. He attended high school in Cedar City and graduated High School from Compton Junior College in California. 

During high school he was released for a few weeks to work in Cedar City in a turkey processing plant. Some of his first jobs were traveling to schools in Nevada and northern Utah with a locksmith repairing locks and typewriters. In addition, he worked as a glass blower making 5 gallon water jugs. Tex joined the Army National Guard during the Korean War and was only one of four in his unit that remained state side. After serving his country, he dreamed of learning to fly a plane and was able to obtain his pilot permit and fly solo

During this time, Tex also worked at Continental Can in Long Beach as a machine mechanic and that is where he met Wanda, his future eternal companion. Later, he moved with his family to Vista and purchased a chicken ranch with his father. As a professional CDL driver he was employed by Pioneer Mills in San Marcos, California and later became the foreman of the mill.

Tex retired at 62 years of age after working 30 years at the mill and enjoyed traveling the country with his sweetheart. He loved family vacations, camping, traveling, the great outdoors, and reading. His favorite hobby was “emergency repairs.”

He is survived by his daughters, Sherry and Laura, his son, Wayne, 12 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, his brother, Melvin and his sister, Ver Daun. 

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