Alex Parker, Jr.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA…Mr. Alex Parker, Jr., a resident of Tallahassee, Florida, passed away early Saturday morning, August 16, 2025, in Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. He was 71.

Celebration of Life Services will be held at 1:00 P.M. Friday, August 22, 2025, in the Fuqua Bankston Funeral Home Chapel with his brother-in-law, Roy Shaw officiating. The family will receive friends from 12:00 until 1:00 P.M. Friday at the funeral home. Fuqua Bankston Funeral Home of Ozark is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Parker was born on August 2, 1954, in the sunny city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As a young boy, he was full of life with a lot of energy and was lovingly known for his spark of humor and infamous and infectious laugh that would stay with him throughout his life. He moved with his family to Willingboro, New Jersey at an early age, where he grew up surrounded by love, laughter, and the kind of lessons that only life can teach.

He graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Willingboro in 1972, a proud moment for him and his family. Not long after, he made the brave decision to serve his country by joining the United States Marine Corps. His time in the Marines shaped him—instilling discipline, resilience, and a deep sense of pride. After his military service, he continued his journey as a merchant marine for two years, traveling the seas and adding more stories to the ones he’d later share with a grin and a twinkle in his eye.

Eventually, Mr. Parker found his way back to Florida and New Jersey before settling down in Tallahassee in the early 1990s. It was there, he built an adventurous but steady life while working at Florida State University as a groundskeeper. He took pride in his work and loved to fellowship with his coworkers. He was a kind man that always had a smile on his face, and always eager with joy to see his family. He was very protective and didn’t always express his love by words but with gestures that came straight from the heart. You understood that he loved you.

If you knew Mr. Parker, you knew he had a gift for making people laugh. He was the family “cut up”—always ready with a joke, a funny story, or a playful jab that left everyone smiling. He had a deep love for boxing, football, and karate, and he could talk about them for hours. But one of his true joys was cooking, especially his famous chili. It wasn’t just about the food—it was about the care he put into it, the way he’d quietly offer a bowl to someone he loved, letting the warmth of the meal say what words sometimes couldn’t.

He didn’t always speak his feelings out loud, but you could feel them in the way he looked after his family, in the meals he prepared, and in the quiet moments he shared. His love was steady, dependable, and always present—even if it came in the form of a plate of food or a helping hand.

Mr. Parker was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Catherine Terry West, and his siblings Gussie Demise Parker, Percy Berry, James Parker, and Patricia Parker. Though they are no longer with us, their memories live on in the stories we tell and the love we carry forward.

He leaves behind a legacy of laughter, strength, and quiet devotion. Mr. Parker will be deeply missed but never forgotten. His spirit lives on in every smile he inspired, every meal he shared, and every heart he touched.

Surviving relatives include his daughter, Tiffany Hinson, Kennesaw, Georgia; father, Alex Parker, Sr., Daleville; sister, Timeka Shaw (Roy), Ozark; brother, Ivan W. West (Nikki), Daleville; four grandchildren, Tavon Scott, Sheyanne Scott, Shamir Hinson, and Devin Clayton; two great-grandchildren; nieces, nephews, and cousins.