Gary Parker

Gary Phillip Parker, 63, died on Sunday, May 18, 2014. Funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 21, at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home Chapel in Marietta, with interment at Kennesaw Memorial Park immediately following. Parker was the principal/owner of Gary P. Parker & Co., Architects, and a retired instructor at Southern Polytechnic State University. Previous positions included hospital design architect at Heery International, project manager/designer at Abreu & Robeson, Architects, project manager at Warner & Summers Inc., Architects; draftsman/job captain at Tomberlin Associates Architects, and draftsman for the Department of Plant Planning & Construction with the Atlanta School Board. Born in Winston-Salem, NC, on May 20, 1950, to George and Helen Redmon Parker, Parker was a lifelong resident of the Atlanta area. He was a 1968 graduate of North Fulton High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1981. He worked with several architectural firms before opening his own firm in 1983 in Marietta. His 30-year practice specialized in architectural planning, programming and design for new construction and renovations and additions to hospitals, medical office buildings, churches, daycare facilities, schools, gymnasiums, and single-family residences. In 1989, he won the Church Design Competition for the Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church. In 2006, he joined the faculty at Southern Polytechnic, teaching design and technical courses. He retired at the end of 2011. Parker was a member of the American Institute of Architects, Alpha Rho Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, a member of First Baptist Church of Marietta, Upward Bound Sunday School and a member of the church's chancel choir. His hobbies included refurbishing Porsche automobiles, sailing, and model trains. He was preceded in death by his wife, Debra Collins Parker, in 2007. Survivors include daughters, Stephanie Parker Hodge (Chris), Wellington, FL; and Jennifer Parker Rhodes (Johnny), of Canton, GA; sons, David Walker Parker, Marietta, GA; Garrett Collins Parker, Marietta GA; five grandchildren; brother, G. Rodney Parker (Kathy), Fayetteville, GA; sister, Emily D. Parker (Tony Gunn), Martinsville, VA; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta. The family extends appreciation to the third floor south GI staff at St. Joseph's Hospital, to the staff at the Visiting Nurse Hospice Atlanta Center, and for the generosity of First Baptist Church of Marietta. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Marietta, 148 Church St., Marietta GA 30060, or Visiting Nurse Hospice Atlanta Center, 1244 Park Vista Drive, Atlanta, GA 30319, or to a charity of the donor's choice. www.mayeswarddobbins.com 770-428-1511

Gary Parker

May 20, 1950 - May 18, 2014