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Memorial
Minute for Curt Parker
M.
Curtis Parker, Jr., of
Swarthmore,
Pennsylvania, died peacefully at home on February 28, 2011, at the age of 75.
Curt was born in
San Diego
,
CA
, to Milton Curtis Parker, Sr. and Margaret Blair West Parker.
His mother was a descendant of the neoclassical Quaker painter, Benjamin
West, who was born in a building on Swarthmore campus. Curt spent his summers at
the West family farm in
Maryland
. There he acquired a love of animals that continued throughout his life.
The family always had cats at home. The cats lived THE life. As a young
boy, Curt moved to
Ocean City
,
NJ
, where he graduated from
Ocean
City
High School
in 1955.
Throughout his life he was drawn to the ocean; he wants his ashes
scattered there.
Curt
attended
Ursinus
College
in
Pennsylvania
. He worked as a postman and taxi driver during college summers. Curt met his
future wife, Mary Lou Mööck at
Ursinus
College
.
He graduated in 1959 with a degree in Business Administration and then
earned his certification as a CPA.
He maintained many of his college friends for life.
His daughters often thought of them as distant “family” members. After
he and Mary Lou were married, they moved to
Sao Paulo
,
Brazil
, where he served as Tax Management Consultant for Touche Ross.
After returning to the
United States
, he worked for Wawa Corporation as the Vice President of the Maurice River
Company in
Millville
,
NJ
.
In 1980 he joined the accounting firm of Elko, Fisher, McCabe and Rudman
in
Media
,
PA.
Curt
wanted to raise his family in the Quaker manner of the West Family. The family
chose to live in Swarthmore near his work in Media.
Curt and Mary Lou joined Swarthmore Friends Meeting in 1983 where their
daughters attended
First
Day School
. His daughters were always proud that their Father provided a wonderful home
and didn’t define himself by his physical handicaps. They remember him saying,
“If you don’t ask or you don’t try, you don’t get.” He was civic
minded, and, even though he could not attend the Borough Meetings, he watched
his wife on the Borough Cable TV. He resided in Swarthmore for 32 years.
Curt
is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary Lou; a brother, Franklin Parker of
Mays Landing, NJ; daughter, Wendy Owen (Paul) of
Fort Bragg
,
NC
; and daughter, Sheri Parker (Ed White) and grandchildren James Curtis White and
Taylor Blair White of Kensington, MD.
A
Memorial Service was held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, 2011, at the
Swarthmore Friends Meetinghouse,
12 Whittier Place
Swarthmore
,
PA
19081
.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Swarthmore Friends
Meetinghouse.
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