Jon Charles Parker, a lifetime resident of Hoquiam, died on Monday, June 19, at his home. He was 74.
Jon was born in Aberdeen, Washington on May 26, 1949, to Omar S. Parker and Dorothea M. Parker (Heath).
On June 24, 1972, Jon married Kathy Hood at a ceremony in Spokane, Washington and together they had three sons.
Jon graduated from Hoquiam High School in 1967 where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He was particularly proud of Hoquiam’s 35-13 victory over Aberdeen in the 1966 Thanksgiving Day game.
After high school, Jon enrolled at the University of Washington where he became a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He met some of his greatest life-long friends in this fraternity. In 1971, he graduated from UW and enrolled at Gonzaga University law school graduating in 1974.
After graduation, Jon joined his father Omar at the Parker & Johnson law firm in Hoquiam and in 1979 Jon was named a partner and the firm became known as Parker, Johnson, and Parker.
Jon was known for having a great sense of humor using many one-liners that will never be forgotten by the people that knew him well.
He cared deeply about the community of Grays Harbor and served on the board of directors at the Grays Harbor Community Foundation from 2005-2023 where he worked to increase opportunities for Grays Harbor youth and better the community. One of the projects he was particularly proud of included securing funding to send students to attend and learn about the Seattle Opera.
Jon was extremely passionate about the town of Hoquiam. He volunteered much of his time coaching his sons and talked often about traveling from state to state coaching Hoquiam youth baseball and Hoquiam AAU basketball. He served on the Hoquiam School Board from 1998-2008 and volunteered as a timer for many years at the Hoquiam Loggers Playday.
Jon was an avid golfer throughout his entire life and traveled to many of the historic golf courses both in the United States and Europe, most recently golfing through Scotland and Ireland with his brother Tim. He was also a big fan of his teams, the Seahawks, Mariners, and Huskies — traveling to many Husky and Seahawk away games with his family and friends.
Jon’s favorite place was the Parker cabin at Lake Quinault. He spent a lot of time at the cabin enjoying the natural beauty of the lake and particularly loved spending time with friends and family around the campfire or a cribbage board.
Jon is survived by his younger brother Tim and preceded in death by his older brother Omar and nephew Chris. He is also survived by his wife Kathy, sons Jon (Danielle) Parker, Jim (Keely) Parker, and Jeff (Kristine) Parker as well as grandchildren Payson Parker, Mylaina Parker, Ruby Parker, Ivan Parker, Paige Parker, and Penelope Parker. Jon also adored the Hood family as well as his numerous nieces and nephews on the Parker side.
A Rosary will be held on Thursday, July 6 at 7 p.m. and a Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, July 7 at 10 a.m. Both will take place at Our Lady of Good Help Catholic Church in Hoquiam. There will also be a reception on Friday, July 7 at the Hoquiam Elks from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Dorothea Parker Scholarship Fund at the Grays Harbor Community Foundation by visiting gh-cf.org.
