Dean Arthur Parker
Johnston

Dean Parker, 81, passed away Thursday, March 19, 2020, at Bishop Drumm Home in Johnston. Dean was born June 6, 1938, in Canton, Ohio to Pearl (Sydnes) and Gerald Parker.

Dean grew up in Des Moines and was a 1957 graduate of Des Moines Tech High School. He spent many years after school and on Saturdays working at his father's gun shop next to the Randolph Hotel near the Polk County Courthouse. He became a Des Moines fireman where he retired from after thirty years of service. He drove rescue for many of those later years and, although many accident scenes were understandably difficult to forget, he thoroughly enjoyed his role in helping the people he served. After his retirement, he took the required classes in HVAC at DMACC and worked for Sears as a technician. He and his lovely wife, Carole, enjoyed car rides, John Wayne movies and country music—and Dean was actually a pretty good singer. Dean was a caring person and had a great sense of humor.

Dean was preceded in death by his son, Steven (Teresa) of Des Moines. He is survived by his wife, Carole; daughter Debbbie of Des Moines; son Stan (Tami) of Plano, Texas, and also sons Dean, Jr. (Cindy) of Arizona and Mark (Falon) of Iowa; four grandchildren: Lindsey, Jacob, Allen, and Mitch; one great-grandchild, Callie Jane; brothers Dale (Mary) of West Des Moines and Ivan (Patricia) of Ankeny; and brother-in-law Eddie O'Neill of West Des Moines.

Private services will be held with interment at Highland Memory Gardens.