Wylie Fort Parker

Goldsboro – Mr. Wylie Fort Parker, 88, of 1701 E. Walnut Street, died Sunday at Wayne Memorial Hospital.

A native of Goldsboro, he was the son of the late Frederick Pope Parker and Matilda Isler Fort Parker and the grandson of the late Col. Wiley Becton Fort. Mr. Parker attended Goldsboro City Schools and received his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor Degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. He practiced law with his brother, Fred P. Parker, Jr. before being called to serve his country in World War II.

Mr. Parker received his commission as Second Lieutenant at the Field Artillery Officer’s Candidate School in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In the European Theater, he was a forward observer and served as an Intelligence Staff Officer. He landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day + 4. He was promoted to Captain. As captain, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Medal for flying over 50 combat missions. Captain Parker received four Battle Stars for serving in the Normandy, Northern France, Central Europe and Rhineland Campaigns.

Captain Parker transferred to the Military Government Division of the Army at the end of the European War and served as provincial mayor of one of the occupied towns in Germany. He was discharged with the rank of Major.

Upon returning to Goldsboro, Mr. Parker returned to the practice of law and later was involved in real estate and other business ventures. Mr. Parker was very active in many organizations and civic clubs in Goldsboro and Wayne County, serving as President of the Wayne County Young Democrats, the Goldsboro Board of Realtors and the Goldsboro Country Club. He was a member of the American Legion Forty and Eight Honorary Society.

Mr. Parker was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Goldsboro and has served as president of the men of the church , deacon and ruling elder.

Funeral services will be Monday at 3 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church with Dr. William L. Hufham officiating. Burial will follow in Willow Dale Cemetery. The family will receive friends following the service or at the residence.

Mr. Parker is survived by his wife, Jayne Grant Snipes Parker and her children, Linda S. Beard and Elizabeth S. Joyner; a sister-in-law, Catherine C. Parker; his nephews and nieces, Dr. Talbot F. Parker, Jr., Jane Parker Smith, F. Ogden Parker, Jr., John B. Parker, James C. Parker, Agnes Parker Woltz, Fred P. Parker III, Susan Parker Parker, and E.B. Borden Parker. He is also survived by his faithful and long term caregiver, Dorothy Cogdell.

He was preceded in death by his three brothers, F. Ogden Parker, Talbot F. Parker and Fred P. Parker, Jr.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 1101 E. Ash Street, Goldsboro, NC 27534.