Charles Edward "Red" Parker joined his wife Pat, his granddaughter Kristen and his best friend Charlie Shotwell in heaven March 22, 2016. Red was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend and lived his life in the service of His Lord and others. Having spent his first eight years in his native North Carolina, and except for a brief sojourn in Alaska, he lived most of his life in Hampton, Virginia. Here he did the things he loved most, working and serving. There was hardly a job that Red had not done; he served in the Army, as a fireman, at NASA, a mechanical plumbing contractor, a consultant, local business owner, a teacher and an accountant. He ministered to others at the jail, as an elder and a Sunday school teacher for two local church bodies, LaCrosse Memorial Presbyterian Church and Restoration Church (Phoebus Baptist).
His greatest act of service was how he took care of his wife who suffered from M.S. Red always put her needs above his own, making sure she was loved, supported, and cherished. His devotion to his wife was a testimony to everyone who knew him.
Those who will miss him are his three daughters and their husbands, Karen and Chuck Macri, Kathleen and Mike McCrea, and Kristine and Rob Hall. His grandchildren and spouses, Chase and Kristyn Macri, Katelyn and Stephen Johnson, Marissa Macri, Melody and Robert Brauchle, Mariah and Gordon Wyant, Christopher and Danielle Chase, Michael and Jessica McCrea, Parker, Korinne, and Karoline Hall and his great – grandchildren Brayden and Jordan Chase, and a little Macri on the way. His sisters Linda Parker, Bobby Leadman (Roger) and brother Tom Parker (Debie) will also greatly miss him.
The family will receive friends at R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, 245 Armistead Avenue from 6:30 – 8:00pm March 25, 2016. The funeral service will be conducted March 26, 2016 at 2:00pm at Restoration Church 508 Foxhill Road with internment to follow.