Obituary of Christopher J.A. Parker

Jeff Parker, devoted husband, proud patriarch, loving father and grandfather, dedicated sibling, trusted advisor, irrepressible chorister, ancient mariner, Wolverine fan, Sigma Phi brother, patriotic Republican, Mayflower descendant and lifelong Episcopal, died suddenly on 22 December in his home. He was 85 and lived a full life, married to his sweetheart Patricia Ann Morgan for almost fifty-seven years. Jeff was raised in Grosse Point, Michigan and summered on the Great South Bay of Long Island, messing about in boats - which he continued to do well into his seventies. He was a member of the famed boys choir of the Cathedral of St John the Divine. He was schooled at Mount Hermon prep, returning home to graduate from the University of Michigan. Jeff spent his career in sales, working first in broadcast marketing, then with DMS, a division of McGraw-Hill in Greenwich. He had developed a love for equities in the 1950s and eventually joined Merrill Lynch as an Account Executive in the early 70s. His knowledge of stocks was encylopedic, and he went on to be a founder of the Greenwich branch of Merrill Lynch in 1974, from which he retired in 1998 after working with his namesake son for the final three years. He and Pat traveled worldwide after his retirement, often with the University Glee Club of New York City, of which he became a Fifty-Year member in 2014. Jeff had many avocations, but his most enduring pursuit was song. At his peak he belonged to five different singing groups, singing bass in the Off Sounders for over forty years. Jeff was a Lifetime member of Riverside Yacht Club where he sailed and played tennis with gusto. While working he served as President of the O.G. - Riverside Rotary and treasured his fellow members of the Retired Men's Association. Family was Jeff's overarching priority. He and Pat raised four children at their home of over fifty years in Old Greenwich, a home he chose for its location on a "dead end" where games could be played without fear of traffic. He was an involved father who could be relied upon to urge his children (and grandchildren) to get "out on the courts." Jeff was a pillar of St. Paul's Episcopal church in Riverside, serving as a long-time chorister, Warden, lector, and hamburg-flipper at many a Fair. His faith ran deep and he didn't fear death, believing in a life everlasting. Jeff Parker leaves his beloved wife Pat, his son Skip and wife Harriet of Riverside, daughter Laura and husband David Gray of Old Saybrook, daughter Amy and husband Ray Donohoe of Stamford, and daughter Wendy and husband Jean-Christian Fages of Annecy, France. Jeff was so proud of his grandchildren: Heather Donohoe and great-grandson Jacob, Melissa Donohoe and great-grandson Eli, Thomas Donohoe and wife Elina, Hannah Gray, Izzy Parker, Samuel Parker Gray, Adele Fages and Madeleine Fages. His memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 9th at 11:00 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Riverside