Obituary of Owen Frederick Parker

ILION – Owen “Junior” Frederick Parker, age 78, of Ilion, passed away peacefully, on Monday, August 29, 2022, at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, New Hartford, with his family by his side. He was born on December 31, 1943, in Herkimer, NY, the son of Owen L. and Bernice (Wildey) Parker and attended Ilion High School. Owen was a veteran of the U.S. Army. On August 7, 1976, he was married to Gail Ropeter, at the Ilion Methodist Church. She died on October 5, 2021. He was a member of the Ilion-Frankfort V.F.W. Our dad was a great man. He enjoyed taking our mom for rides up north, looking for the deer. He loved to hunt with his friends, including our uncle Keith. The stories that were told were awesome. He enjoyed going camping with mom. Dad’s main passion was his old 1946 Ford truck and the many hours he spent working on his truck. Dad served 50 years with Remington Arms Co., as a final assembler, retiring in 2015. He served 20 years with the U.S. Army, 2 years active duty and 18 years with the National Guard. He told us the stories from his 2 week camping trips with the National Guard for years. Dad loved serving his country. Surviving family members include his 2 daughters, Roxanne Hazlett and her husband, John, of Little Falls, and Debbie Allen and her husband, Mark, of Boca Raton, FL; his 4 grandchildren, Randel Hunt, Jr., of Herkimer, Ryan Hunt and Meghan, of Mohawk, and Brooke and Jacqueline Allen, of Florida; 2 great-grandchildren, Maci and Marcus Hunt; 2 sisters, Phylis and Edith; several nieces and nephews, including a special nephew, Lester and several cousins; and his step grandson, Justin Hazlett. He was predeceased by his wife, Gail; his parents; his brother, David Parker; his sister, Betty; and his in-laws, Lester and Dorothy Ropeter. Owen’s Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 6, 2022, at the Applegate-Day & Enea Family Funeral Home’s larger facility, located at 4309 Acme Rd. (old Main St.), between Ilion and Frankfort. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m., prior to the Memorial Service, at the funeral home. Anyone wishing to share a memory of Owen, or add to his online memorial, may go to www.applegateandday.com Owen’s service arrangements were prearranged and entrusted to his Family Funeral Director and friend, Don Applegate.