James Lewis Parker

James Lewis Parker was born March 6, 1934 in Pontiac, Michigan. He passed away June 28, 2025. “Jim” was born to Norman Eli Parker and Anna Eleanor (Shaar) Parker. Before graduating from High School, he joined the Navy and graduated with a certificate there. As a Navy man he worked as an equipment repairman on the USS Howard W. Gilmore. He was a private pilot while in the Navy. On the GI Bill Jim graduated from Michigan State University with a BS in Biology in 1960. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula and received his Masters Degree in Botany in 1968. After that Jim attended Oregon State University. While a Senior at MSU, he met Josphine Lessard. They were married September 20, 1958. Their first daughter, Jody, was born July of 1959. A second daughter, Jennifer, was born when they lived in Muskegon in October 1963. At the time he was teaching Science classes at a Junior High School. As a youngster Jim helped his father build houses; growing up he lived in a log cabin his parents built. Jim had many hobbies, including tying flies and amateur ham radio. While in Junior High in the ‘40s he appeared on TV doing a demonstration of fly tying. During his undergrad college days in the summer, he worked in Montana on a Lookout Tower. He also drove a cream-colored ’53 MG. While in Missoula, Jim signed up for the Ski Patrol at Grizzly Ski Area…he learned to downhill ski after signing up. In the summer of 1968, he moved his family to Corvallis, Oregon. He continued to ski and was on the Ski Patrol at HooDoo Ski Area. He climbed Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood and ran a couple of marathons. In 1972, Jim became owner of the Black Sheep Weaving and Craft Supply, where he learned how to spin wool and he taught spinning lessons. He also taught Biology at Chemeketa Community College. In 1975, the family moved to land purchased on Arboretum Road where they built a home. They raised sheep and had a family business of baling hay. In 1991, Jim and Jo divorced. For a short time, he lived in Seattle. In ‘93 Jim learned to play pool with books and videos from the Public Library. He played on the local Pool League until 2020. He was a fan of the Blazers Basketball and OSU Beavers. Jim fished with his buddies for sturgeon at Buoy 10 on the mouth of the Columbia River. The last two years of his life Jim was in a Memory Care Center. He was happy there and felt well cared for. His Alzheimer’s symptoms were very light until very near the end and he passed peacefully. Jim is survived by a sister, Charrie (Parker) Moody, in Clarkston, Michigan, and his two daughters, Jody Parker and Jennifer (Tony) Megale, and his three grandchildren, Markum, Zach, and Laurel Megale. His final wishes were to be cremated and forgo a ceremony.

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James Lewis Parker

March 6, 1934 - June 28, 2025