Loyd Parker

Loyd C. Parker passed away at his Cocoa Beach home on July 12, 2014. He is survived by three sisters (Joan, Jean, Betty Ann); three children – Lloyd Jr., Charles (Pam), and Julie – five grandchildren (Zack, Alexandra, Lauren, Jake, and Drew), as well as many nieces, nephews, and their families. He also had one step-granddaughter (Ashley) and a step-great-granddaughter (Vanessa). Live video feed will start at 10:00 AM Thursday July 17th. He was preceded in death by his wife Jeralyn, his parents (John and Nell), two sisters (Thelma and Mary Sue) and one grandchild (Cal). Parkerwas born on December 1, 1930 near Asheville, NC and his family moved to Wilmington when he was a young boy. He was a US Air Force combat veteran of the Korean War – serving in theater as an aircraft mechanic. He earned an Electrical Engineering degree from North Carolina State University after the war. Parker then spent 45 years working as a safety expert in our nation’s aerospaceindustry. He was the Director of Safety at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia from the 1960s until 1980. During that time, he oversaw the successful launches of over 70 Scout rockets and hundreds of suborbital flights. From 1980-85, Parker served at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as the Director of Safety, Security and Quality Assurance – working on the first 18 space shuttle launches. Parker then became the Chief Scientist and Director of Research Triangle Institute in Cocoa Beach from 1985–2005. During these years, he and his team provided rocket/missile flight and range safety analyses for the US Air Force, NASA, and the Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Parker also provided safety-relatedtechnical support to the nations of Italy, France, Japan, and Brazil. Parker loved travelling with his wife, including trips to Alaska, Panama, Japan, and Hawaii. He was an avid sportsman playing baseball and softball, bowling, hunting, and fishing before moving to Florida. He loved to play golf during many of his years in Cocoa Beach. A memorial service will be held on Thursday July 17 at 10:00 am at Beckman-Williamson Funeral Home in Cocoa Beach. The family will be available from 9:00-10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the da Vinci Academy of Aerospace Technology at Merritt Island High School. You may sign the guestbook at beckman-williamson.com