Christopher C. Parker, Jr.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Christopher “Chris” Columbus Parker, Jr., 83, will be held on Friday, August 21, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2201 Airline Dr., Bossier City, Louisiana. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Officiating the service will be Rev. Brad Franklin and Rev. David Dietzel.

Chris was born on October 11, 1942, to Christopher Columbus Parker (C.C.) and Eleanor June Smith Parker in Shreveport, Louisiana, and passed away on Friday, June 24, 2026, in Bossier City, Louisiana.

Chris was a lifelong resident of Benton, Louisiana. After graduating from Benton High School, he married his high school sweetheart, Linda Maynor. The newlyweds moved to Baton Rouge, where Chris earned his B.A. degree from Louisiana State University with a focus on landscape architecture.

Upon graduation, Chris returned home to Benton and began working for the Bossier Parish School Board, contributing to the creation and design model for the first Apollo School. He later left that position to help his father, C.C. Parker, and his grandparents, Ethel and E.E. Parker, run Parker’s Drug and Grocery in Benton, a beloved family business founded by his grandfather in 1920. Chris eventually became the owner, proudly carrying on the Parker family tradition.

Chris was devoted to his family and took great joy in raising his beloved children, Doran and Chris III, and later his two grandsons, Sean and Brandon, all of whom he cherished deeply. He and Linda shared 63 beautiful years of marriage, beginning on December 25, 1963, a love that continues now in their heavenly reunion.

From childhood, Chris dreamed of flying. He began by leaping off buildings with a cape, convinced he could soar like Superman. That early fascination grew into building model airplanes and then remote‑controlled aircraft, which often flew miles out of range and required retrieval by car. In 1984, he fulfilled his lifelong dream when he passed his solo flight on the first attempt. Naturally, he soon purchased his own plane.

Chris approached every hobby with enthusiasm and curiosity. He loved astronomy and built a large telescope capable of capturing the phases of the moon with remarkable clarity. He photographed the stars and moon with his many cameras, earning several photography awards. His fascination with the heavens began early and never faded. Now, he can soar freely and discover them firsthand.

Chris was preceded in death by his parents, C.C. and Eleanor Parker; his grandparents, E.E. and Ethel Parker and Luther G. and Bertha Smith.

Left to cherish his memory are his daughter, Doran Parker Napp, and husband, Bob; his son, Chris Parker; his grandchildren, Sean Napp and Brandon Parker; and his sister, Jane Parker Taylor, and husband, Thomas.

Serving as honorary pallbearers are Sean Napp, Brandon Parker, Steven Shockley, Andy Yarbrough, Tom Taylor, Reggie Quillin, and Dusty Rhodes.

Special thanks to the Benton Methodist church for their faithful visits to Chris and Linda. We are also so thankful to Pilgrim Manor in Bossier. Their love and care have been outstanding. The management does a great job of hiring, training, and retaining staff. Special thanks to his nurse, Veronica, who was always there. Sylvia, who always greets you with a smile at the door; Toni, Head Nurse, who always calls with updates; Keisha, who accompanied the doctor visits; and Mary Dickson, who set her alarm to make sure Chris got his afternoon “Coca-Cola.” Thank you to all Chris’s caregivers and staff.

The family suggests memorials may be made in Chris’s honor to Benton Methodist Church, 4615 Palmetto Rd, Benton, LA.