DONALD KEMMY PARKER

Donald Kemmy Parker died at his home in Las Vegas on September 2, 2022. He was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Christmas Eve, 1927 to Marion Parker and Carl Huntington Parker, the second of two children. His father died of asthma complications when Don was three years old, and he and his older brother Edward were raised by his mother in Boulder and Greeley, Colorado. His mother, who had a Bachelor's degree in chemistry and later, a Master's in Education, taught in Greeley. On December 25, 1943, she married John Stone Cable, who owned piano stores in Greeley and Loveland, Colorado. Don was student class president of Greeley High School in 1946.

Don enlisted in the US Navy in 1946, and worked in fire control as a 3rd class Petty Officer on the USS Manchester CL83. After his service, he earned a marketing degree from the University of Colorado in two and a half years, graduating in August, 1950. At CU, he met his first wife, Ruby Darlene Elliott, while working in food service at her college rooming house. They married on June 30, 1951 and had five children: Tim, Terry, Brett, Joel, and Andrea, each of whom had two children. Ruby died of metastatic breast cancer in 1980.

On April 2, 1983, he married Merideth Wilkins, a school psychologist, to whom he remained married until his death.

Don worked in accounting for the Gates Rubber Company in Denver, for Firestone

in Sterling, Colorado, and for the Zia Company in Los Alamos, New Mexico. In 1963, he moved his family to Las Vegas, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He worked for the Atomic Energy Commission, which later became the Energy Research and Development Administration and finally Department of Energy, and worked his way up to Director of Finance. He retired from DOE after almost 30 years of service to the various agencies that supported the Nevada atomic testing sites.

He was a talented and enthusiastic "fix it" man, who could repair any car, build a block wall, fix electrical and plumbing problems, and repair any mechanical device. He refurbished a 1961 Renault Dauphine, a 1961 Austin Healy 3000, a 1959 Triumph TR3, and 1963 and 1968 Triumph

Spitfires. Over the course of more than 40 years, he owned and maintained five boats, which led to many family adventures. He was an excellent woodworker, producing many artistic pieces. He enjoyed the water, was a good swimmer, excellent water skier, and avid scuba diver. He had many water-based adventures on, in, and below the water across the world. Don supported what has become "USA" swimming in southern Nevada as the operating treasurer of the fledgling Frontier Swim Club in the middle of the 1960s, which later merged with the Sandpipers in the late 1960s. The Sandpipers are still operating in Southern Nevada today.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Merideth Parker, five children: (Tim Parker, Terry Parker, Brett Parker, Joel Parker, Andrea Parker), four stepchildren (Ann Hibbs, David Wilkins, Eileen Scarbrough, Ross Wilkins), ten grandchildren (Zoe Parker, Wesley Parker, Kristin Parker, Matthew Parker, Reed Parker, Robbie Rae Adamson, Alison Lambson, Elliott Parker, Melissa Merryman, Carly Merryman), and six great grandchildren (Charleston Rae Parker, Henry Parker, Camden Adamson, Loftyn Adamson, Ruby Eden Dashuri, Parker Wong).

A celebration of life will be held at Las Ventanas on Saturday, October 15 at 2:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, we request that donations be made to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. A celebration of life will be held from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM on 2022-10-15 at LAS VENTANAS, 10401 WEST CHARLESTON BLVD.

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