Roger Lynn Parker

Roger Lynn Parker passed away peacefully at home on June 4, 2025, surrounded by 17 family members and close friends following a yearlong battle with cancer and just a few weeks after celebrating his 74th birthday.

Roger was born in Berkeley, California, to Ruby and Lynn Parker, and spent his early years moving around the state as his father, an Episcopal priest, took on various assignments. His time at Riverside High School helped shape his lifelong talents in carpentry, metalwork, and automotive repair.

After high school, Roger embarked on a memorable journey, walking much of the Pacific Crest Trail. That adventure deepened his love of the outdoors-especially camping, fishing, and cooking over an open fire. A longtime member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Roger was passionate about ocean life and was known as a "hero of the ocean" by those who knew him best. He loved scuba diving and took great pride in his many successful fishing trips for tuna and salmon in the Monterey Bay. Professionally, Roger had been a restaurant manager in Hawaii, Los Gatos and Santa Cruz, and he was famous among family for once surprising them by baking 32 dozen chocolate chip cookies in a single afternoon.

He is survived by his son and daughter in law and his beloved grandsons, all of Capitola. He also leaves behind his brothers Ron and Gordon and their wives and children, all of whom reside in the Riverside area.

Roger met his life partner, Christine Kelsey, on the quiet country road they both called home in the Aptos Hills. Their bond was immediate and enduring. Over their 25 years together, they shared a life filled with love, laughter, and hard work-especially in developing properties in San Diego and the Monterey Bay area.

Roger embraced Christine's children-Michele, Charles, and Albert Gonzales-and he became a father figure and grandfather. He passed on practical skills like rebuilding the barn, driving a tractor, repairing pool pumps, tending his large rose garden, raising a flock of 80 sheep, setting up elaborate train sets and barbecuing whole turkeys to the next generation.

Roger will be remembered for his deep kindness, quiet strength, adventurous spirit, liberal politics and spontaneous humor. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched, the skills he shared, and the love he gave so freely. As one of his pals said, "He is the last of an era." The family plans a celebration of life gathering in October.

Published in The Pajaronian · August 28, 2025