Birth date: Sep 4, 1929 Death date: Apr 9, 2017
ROBERT LEROY PARKER, 87, of Miami, passed away at home on April 9, 2017. Musician, scholar, teacher, traveler, he was born in Lovington, NM, on September 4, 1929, son of the late Leah and John Bruton Parker. He was predeceased by Read Obituary
I met Bob at the University of Miami when I started working in the School of Music in 1973. Later when Bill Lee and I started dating, Bob, who was already a dear friend to Bill, became my dear friend, too. There are so many memories of parties full of laughter, music. Bob often would play his trumpet at the parties and I still have a beautiful composition he wrote called "Happy New Year" that he would play and Bill would accompany on the piano. Bob was also a great cook! He lived a block from me and Bill and often he would invite us over for dinner after work. He made GREAT Mexican food like Chicken Mole and Pozole soup. One night he invited us over to have Rooster that he bought at Publix. We thought Rooster?? Well, as it turns out it was actually a "Roaster" chicken, he just read the label wrong. We had a laugh over that! Bob was also a great handyman and could fix anything or build anything. He made a hanging, pretty wine rack in his kitchen, installed many a lock on a door for me. He was always first to volunteer to take us or pick us up from the airport when we traveled. Bob was a true friend, a gentleman, an amazing musician. We loved him very much and will cherish the many happy memories we all shared.
Jackie Tyler Lee
