Chester Parker
Chester West Parker, 96, son of John and Julia West
Parker, was born Nov. 20, 1901, in Kansas City. He died Oct 1, 1998, at St.
John's Regional Health Center in Springfield.
He attended elementary and high school in Houston and at
age 17 taught in a one-room rural school. At age 18, he was a freshman at the
University of Missouri-Columbia. In 1921, at 19, he was principal of an
elementary school in the Picher, Okla., mining district. For two years he was a
high school principal at Licking.
After another year of rural teaching, Mr. Parker began
his work as superintendent of schools, which he followed for 44 years: two at
Conway, 11 at Ozark, 17 at Ava, and 14 in the Waynesville/St. Robert /Fort
Leonard Wood area.
He was a member of Southern Baptist churches since the
age of 10. He was a member of Lions Clubs for more than 50 years and a
long-time member of Toastmasters Clubs and chambers of commerce.
After retirement in 1969, he served as mayor of
Waynesville for six years.
Mr. Parker had his mother's gift for writing. They both
were published authors with several books written between them. He wrote
countless newspaper articles. He always had a great love for fishing on the
Ozarks streams.
He married Kathleen Ezzsell in 1927. They were married
for more than 60 years before her death in 1987. They had three children while
living at Ozark.
Surviving are his children, Lois McClendon of
Springfield, Ed "Fast Eddie" Parker of Universal City, Texas, and
John Parker of Columbia; one sister, Maurine Grammer of Albuquerque, N.M.;
eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Services were Oct. 5 at the Soldier's Memorial Chapel at
Fort Leonard Wood with the Rev. Bill Turner officiating. Burial was in the
Waynesville Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Waynesville Memorial
Chapel.
Houston Herald
Houston, Missouri
8 October, 1998
page 3
Transcribed by Laura (Abernathy) Huffman
