Gordon Lee Parker, 68, passed into the eternal love of God on December 31, 2024.  He may have done it on purpose to avoid the next presidential term or possibly his health insurance rolling over.  Gordon was born on March 13, 1956, to the late Stanley and Irene (Fletcher) Parker in Portsmouth, Ohio.  Being the fourth of five siblings was a dubious task, but he was up for the challenge and tortured his siblings through a childhood of obnoxious pranks, with his brothers Theron and Terry generally serving as the ringleaders while sisters Pam and Kim were usually the victims.

Gordon graduated from Scioto County Joint Vocational School in 1973, but was working long before that at the Jim Dandy Drive-In where he was a line cook and also drove a delivery truck illegally as he was underage at the time.  Gordon would work in several industries such as construction and photography before landing a gig with the USDA Farmers Home Administration which later became USDA Rural Development where he retired as a GS-13 Loan Specialist in 2018.  Gordon was also a member of the National Association of Credit Specialists (NACS) where he would forge many lifelong friendships and also held the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, sat on the Advisory Committee, Community Programs Committee, IT Committee, and was also a Zone C Rep and Ohio State President.  Gordon was also a member of the New Haven United Methodist Church where he served on many committees throughout the years.

Gordon was preceded in death by his father Stanley, loving and wonderful mother Irene, mischievous brothers Theron and Terry Parker, and in-laws John and Mary Alderson.  Gordon was a doting son-in-law, always obliging to Mary's requests.  She once told him, "Don't throw me down, Gordon," as he was helping her up the stairs which we fondly started quoting instead of "Don't throw me down, Clark" from Christmas Vacation.  He is survived by the love of his life and wife of 43 years Ann (Alderson) Parker; daughters Lindsey (Josh) Marotti of Cincinnati,OH; Laura (Robert) Brinker of Letart, WV; and Kat (Tyler) Weiland of New Haven, WV. Grandchildren Draven (Taylor) Savage of Ionia, MI; Dil Frasher of Cincinnati, OH; Mary, Kane, and Levi Brinker of Letart, WV; Henry and Harrison Weiland of New Haven, WV; sisters Pam Ricer and Kim Holsinger of Scioto County, OH, and a host of nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law Virginia and Dana, and two cheeky cats, Walter and Jack.

Gordon loved cooking and traveling, especially to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, which was one of his absolute favorite spots.  He loved lobster and crab bisque, which he would get any time they'd venture out for beach dinners and always had a list of restaurants to eat at no matter what city he found himself in.  The Key Lime Pie from Dinky's in Cape Hatteras was his favorite, so have a slice in his honor if you ever find yourself there.  He was a huge Marshall football fan and loved the Wahama White Falcons, especially watching Mary play volleyball, softball, and play in the band; Kane and Levi wrestle and play football and baseball; and Henry and Harry wrestle and play soccer.  He was a champion for the underdog and loved his work in rural development and all the small communities he was able to help.  He loved a good debate, but one hill he would die on is that Christine McVie is far superior to Stevie Nicks who was ultimately the downfall of Fleetwood Mac.  He had a very eclectic taste in music and loved southern rock to motown, Ram Jam to the Temptations.  Linda Ronstadt was his first love, before mom, as well as the queen, Aretha Franklin, Michael McDonald from The Doobie Brothers, bluegrass king Jerry Douglas, and pretty much any other bluegrass artists to be honest.

Gordon was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, in December of 2023 and fought a valiant fight until the end.  There is currently no cure for ALS which does not discriminate against its victims, 90% of cases occur with no family history and can often take months or years to diagnose because it presents as other conditions which have to be ruled out first.  We would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Jared Hollinger and nurse Cortni Riggs of the Marshall ALS Clinic for being a guiding light during our darkest days.

A memorial service and celebration of a life well-lived will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 1:00PM at the New Haven United Methodist Church in New Haven, WV. In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make a donation, please donate to the New Haven United Methodist Church, PO Box 327, New Haven, WV 25265 or to the Marshall University ALS Clinic - checks can be made out to The Marshall Foundation with "ALS Support Fund" in the memo line, mail to Sarah Clemins, Smith Hall 143, 1 John Marshall Dr., Huntington, WV 25755.