Raymond Marvin Parker

February 22, 2016

Raymond Marvin Parker, 93 years young, was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. His parents were Bernard Monroe Parker and Mabel Josephine Sharp. His mother died when Ray was young and his dad married Cora. Ray credits Cora with all of his life achivements! Ray had a younger

brother, Bernard Eugene, (deceased during his service in WWII) and a sister Katharyn Crabtree, (deceased 1983) of Twentynine Palms, California.

Ray married Betty Jo Taylor (deceased 2007) in 1944 and they had two children, Lynn Dee Greenleaf, (deceased 2009) of Maple Valley and Thomas (Tip) Parker, (deceased 2006) of Sequim, Washington.

He taught men to fly in the Navy Air Corp from 1941-1945 in Melbourne, Florida and was in the Navy Reserve until 1955.

In 1950 Ray graduated from Kansas State University as a veterinarian and moved to Sequim in 1954, where there were only a few buildings on Washington Street and one blinking red light!

Ray and Jo had the Red Barn Veterinary Clinic built in 1971, where Staples empty building is now located. Ray was a small animal/dairy veterinarian and also serviced the animals at the Olympic Game Farm. He didn’t like horses; he said they were unpredictable and had long legs that liked to kick!!

Ray enjoyed and excelled in golf at Sunland Golf course and had a lifelong love of feeding birds, especially Seagulls. He loved trees and going to Hurricane Ridge. He always used to say, “You know, there aren’t big trees like this in Kansas!”

He was loved by many and was a funny, pleasant soul. He will be greatly missed.

Ray is survived by his two granddaughters, Kim Villines of Maple Valley and Charissa Decker of Sequim; four great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren and former daughter-in-law Sue Parker of Sequim.