William Lee Parker

Yadkinville Mr. William Lee Parker, 76, passed away Thursday, June 01, 2017 at Forsyth Medical Center.  Mr. Parker was the eldest son of Edker and Lillie Beck Parker, born on April 8, 1941 in Davidson County.  He graduated from North Davidson High School where he played basketball and baseball.  He continued his education and played collegiate baseball at Western Carolina University.  Mr. Parker was associated with State Capital Life, Durham Life, and Integon Life Insurance Companies as a CLU, CHFC certified agent.  He retired from Hege Financial Group of Winston Salem in March of 2017.  Mr. Parker served 30 years in the NC National Guard with various units including Winston Salem, Lenoir, Raleigh, and Goldsboro.  It was with the Goldsboro battalion he traveled to Italy seventeen times for training with the Italian Army.  He also was deployed as second in command of his battalion, to Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm before retiring as a Colonel.  Mr. Parker was a lifelong outdoorsman and an avid hunter.  He was a member of the Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation.  He especially enjoyed serving as a coach for the West Forsyth High School Hunter Safety Team.  Family was very important to Mr. Parker, and he cherished spending time with his grandchildren.  Mr. Parker was a dedicated member of Yadkinville United Methodist Church for over 40 years.  In addition to his parents, Mr. Parker was preceded in death by two brothers, Larry and Clarence Parker.  He is survived by his wife, Virginia Reid Parker; his daughter, Gina Sizemore and husband Kenneth and their daughter Savanna; his son, Lee C. Parker; his wife’s daughters, Elizabeth Meadows and her children, Burgan and Ava of Clemmons, Katherine Harper and her husband Andy, and their children, Tess, Andrew and Emily of Clemmons; his brothers and their wives, Tommy and Shirley Parker, and Van and Vera Parker of Davidson County. A memorial service will be conducted at 2:00PM, Saturday, June 3, 2017 at Yadkinville UMC with Rev. Chris Hughes officiating.  The family will receive friends in the Family Life Center following the service.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Hospice Home of Yadkin 320 W. Maple Street, Yadkinville, NC 27055. Online condolences may be made at www.gentryfuneralservice.com. Gentry Family Funeral Service in Yadkinville is serving the Parker family.