Andrew J. Parker Jr. passed away peacefully on October 18, 2019. Andy was born on Oct. 11, 1940 in East Chicago, Indiana, the only child of the late Andrew Sr. and Kathleen (nee Zentmyre) Parker. In 1956 he moved to South Bend IN where he graduated from Riley HS in 1958. He is survived by his wife Donna, whom he married on August 17, 1963 in South Bend, Indiana.
Upon graduation from Purdue University in 1963, he began his career as a teacher for Penn High School in Mishawaka, IN. He started as an industrial arts teacher and in 1972 was named as the Industrial Arts Teacher of the Year for Indiana. Soon after he moved into an administration role with the school corporation. He was also the founder and creator of the Building Trades Program at PHM, whereby the school trains students in industrial arts by building and selling a house throughout the course of each school year. He was a member of the Michiana Home Builders Association for over 20 years and in 1984/85 was also the president. In 1987 he became Associate Principal at Penn HS – a post he served in until his retirement in 2000.
Above all else, he loved his family and in addition to his wife, he is survived by three children: James (Tamra) of Manlius NY, Suzanne (George) Gause of St. Paul, MN, and Bryan (Stephanie) of Austin, Tx. And also survived by 8 grandchildren: Max, Jordan and Jakob of Manlius, Quinn and Ethan of St. Paul, and Connor, Brandon, and Kyle of Austin.
Andy had a heart of gold and was a kind and gentle giant. He would always stop to help anyone in need, and had a special place in his heart for his beloved hound, Roscoe.
A graveside service will be held at Noon on Saturday, October 26 at Manlius Village Cemetery, Military Dr., Manlius.
Memorial donations in Andy’s name can be made to Central New York Humane Society at http://www.humanecny.org