Doris Ives Parker, 94, known to family and friends as Dee Dee, passed away peacefully in her sleep Sunday, July 8, 2018, at Champions Assisted Living. She was born May 10, 1924, in Norfolk, Virginia, where she met and married John “Poppa Jack” Parker. Together, they raised five children.
Dee Dee adored her children and loved all the coming and going of friends and constant activity in the home. She enjoyed nature and instilled that love in her children. She was an avid gardener, a great cook and had a tender heart for those less fortunate.
Dee Dee moved to Wilmington after the passing of Poppa Jack in the early 1980s. She worked as an executive secretary for Takeda Chemical Company for a number of years. She was always available to help care for her grandchildren, picking up and dropping off for tutoring, skateboarding and other activities. Not to mention all the shrimparoos she hosted for the family. In her last years, she loved rocking on the porch at the Hanover Seaside Club, watching the children play and chatting with people as they came and went to the beach.
Dee Dee is survived by her five children, Karen Parker Lears (Jackson), John B. Parker (Emily), Robert J. Parker (Aimee), Becca Parker Beitel (Rik) and Rich Parker. Her seven grandchildren are Rachel Lears, Adin Lears, John Aaron Parker, Robert Parker, Will Parker, Cody Beitel and Kirra Beitel. To top it all off, two great-grandchildren, Case Lee Parker and Max Blotnick.
The family will have a private remembrance at a later date.
In honor of her love of children, any donation to Kids Making It would be most appreciated.
Share online condolences with the family at atlanticcremation.com.
