Willie Parker Sr.
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 30, 2010
SUFFOLK — Mrs. Willie Mae Umphlett Parker, 94, passed away on June 30, 2010 in Suffolk, Va.
She was born in Southampton County, Va., to William W. Umphlett and Rosa Carr Umphlett, both deceased. Her four siblings predeceased her as well: two sisters, Ada Blanche Gardner and Ruth Virginia Brauckhoff, and two brothers, George Wesley Umphlett and Frank Charles Umphlett. She was married to Raymond Parker, of Suffolk, Va., until his death in 1984. She is survived by three nieces, Rose J. Crandol, of Tamassee, S.C.; Eleanor B. Treadwell, of Santo, Texas; and Carolyn Breenden, of Spring Lake, Mich.; two sisters-in-law, Lucy Ellen Parker and Oma Lee Joyner-Franklin, and her best friend and neighbor for 60 years, Bess B. Gardner, all of Suffolk; and a host of great-nieces and -nephews and family, who all loved her dearly.
She was a member of Bethlehem Christian Church in Suffolk, Va., where she embodied the true spirit of Christianity and love for the Lord. The world has lost one of its angels as we mourn the loss of this special lady who endured medical challenges that words cannot adequately describe.
Funeral services will be conducted Friday, July, 2, 2010 in the R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home and Crematory, 509 W. Washington St., Suffolk, VA 23434 at 11 a.m. by the Rev. Wayne Gardner, with burial in the Bethlehem Christian Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends an hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bethlehem Christian Church, 1549 Holland Road, Suffolk, VA 23434. Condolences may be registered at www.rwbakerfh.com.