James Warren Parker was born on August 19th, 1946, in Lynchburg, Virginia to Herman and Ted Parker. His family moved to West Virginia where Jim would spend his youth hunting the hills and fishing the rivers, eventually excelling at third base on the baseball team and running back for the Parkersburg High Big Red football team. His Senior year he moved back to Lynchburg to attend Brookville High School where during an undefeated season he was picked up hitchhiking after football practice by the young lady who would eventually become the love of his life, in classmate Vicki Martin.

After high school, Jim attended the University of Virginia on an academic scholarship from DuPont where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering and joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Jim and Vicki would happily marry on July 1, 1967, at Timberlake Methodist Church and honeymoon in Florida.

With the Vietnam War well underway, Jim enlisted in the United States Navy where he served his country as an officer and Chief Engineer aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Parsons DDG-33. Following his service Jim began a career at Simplimatic Engineering back home in Lynchburg, VA. When a sales position opened in California Jim jumped at the opportunity and it was a monumental decision that would take him to every state in the Union. One would be hard pressed to find a corner of the world with which Jim was not well acquainted. Jim excelled in business, eventually becoming CEO and expanding operations on a global scale. He was a man of boundless energy, sharp intellect, and unwavering determination. Whether in the cockpit, at the drawing board, or with family, he approached life with passion and precision. He will be remembered for his adventurous spirit, his generosity, and his ability to connect with people wherever his work and travels took him. As an avid private pilot, he logged over 14,000 hours and would take his young family of five on aeronautical adventures across the Caribbean.

With time his family would grow, and Jim would see the birth of six grandchildren. Along the way Jim and his beloved wife of 59 years, Vicki Diane (Martin), welcomed their daughter Jill Marie (Spencer), their son Matthew James, and their youngest Jeffrey Martin; their spouses, Dave, Julia, and Ann; and their treasured grandchildren Austin and Ethan, Mason and Mila, and Palmer and Poe.

Excluding family and his beloved UVA Hoos, nothing brought Jim joy like soaring high and fast above the clouds. Due to health reasons, those capabilities were taken from Jim earlier than expected, but with his passing on Saturday June 13, 2026, all restrictions have again been lifted. Jim has been cleared to the West, ascent unrestricted, with nothing but blue skies and tailwinds all the way home.

Graveside Services with Military Honors will be held at 9:30 AM Friday, June 26, 2026 at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, 5525 US Hwy 1, Mims, FL 32754.