William L. Parker, 83, Korean War Veteran

bill_parkerWilliam L. “Bill” Parker, Sr., 83, died Wednesday, Jan. 27, at Penacook Place Nursing Home. He was the husband of the late Beverly K. (Moore) Parker who died in 2009.

Born in Groveland Jan. 28, 1932, he was the son of the late James and Margaret (Kelly) Parker. He was a lifelong resident of Groveland and a graduate of St. James School and received his associate’s in business from Merrimack College, Andover. A U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War, he served our country in Paris from 1951 until he was honorably discharged in 1955. He worked in the purchasing department at the former Western Electric now Lucent Technologies in Andover from 1956 until his retirement in the early 1990s. He was a devout catholic and a parishioner of St. Patrick’s, Groveland, for many years. He coached Groveland Little League and was an avid reader who especially liked history. Parker was an avid horse racing enthusiast and was a regular at Rockingham Park Race Track, Salem, N.H. Every summer, he and his family would vacation in The Village of Lake George, New York and would attend the horse races at Saratoga Race Track. They all also spent many family vacations at Lake Winnipesaukee and Old Orchard Beach.

He is survived by his four children, Paula M. Parker of Groveland and her companion, Tom Leonard of Haverhill, Linda L. Boussu of Newburyport, William L. “Larry” Parker Jr. and his wife, Ann of Dracut and John P. Parker of Haverhill; four grandchildren, Kristen Boussu of Dillon, Colo., Andrew Boussu and his wife, Devin of Merrimac, Brianne Parker of Houston, Texas, and Justin Parker of Dracut; two great-grandchildren, Weston R. Boussu and Emily Parker. He was also predeceased by his three brothers, Raymond, Herbert and James Jr.

At the request of his family, funeral services were privately held Monday in the Linnehan-Grondin Funeral Home, 129 Kenoza Ave., Haverhill. Interment will be held in the Riverview Cemetery, Groveland. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Bill’s memory to the American Parkinson Disease Association, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118.