Ray Parker Sr. blew out his 100th birthday candles surrounded by three generations of his family on Nov. 9, leaving yet another sweet memory for this group to cherish.
“There’s no better way than with great-grandchildren, and aunts, and uncles, and sisters, and children,” said Ray Parker Jr.
Ray Sr. enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944—spending most of his service in the Philippines. And for a man that survived a war and spent a century on this earth—he’s still moving pretty good.
“His mind is sharp and clear. He knows addresses from back when he was living in St. Joe. He could spit those numbers of the addresses out to you,” said Sherry Duley, Parker Sr’s daughter.
But he does struggle with hearing.
Luckily his 96-year-old sister was here to help him out.
Even though Mr. Parker’s hearing has faded—his presence in the family has not.
“I still ask him for advice even yet today. I asked him for advice last week, and at 100 years old,” said Rodney Park, another son of Parker Sr. “He still gives me advice so a lot of us would love to be able to do that kind of a thing, but not all of us can.”
The Parker family says this year’s Veterans Day celebration takes the cake.
“It makes me very proud of our country and proud of what my dad did. It’s just a happy day,” said Parker Jr.
