Ronald Parker Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Ronald A. Parker, age 86 of Humboldt, passed away Sunday, March 3, 2019, at the Humboldt North Care Center in Humboldt due to complications related to dementia. Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 8, 2019, at 10:30 AM at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Bode with Pastor James Borlaug officiating. Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2019, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Ubben-Lentz Funeral Home in Humboldt. There will be a second visitation held on Friday, March 8, 2019, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at McLaren’s Funeral Chapel in West Des Moines. Burial will take place at Glendale Cemetery on Saturday, March 9th at 11:00 am. Ron was born on June 11, 1932, in Des Moines, IA to Charles and Helen (Shover) Parker, he was raised by his maternal grandparents, Arthur and Bertha (Pickett) Shover. Serving his country sounded exciting to Ron so he joined the Air National Guard at an early age and then enlisted in the Navy. He served on two different destroyers and served during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged in 1953. Upon returning to Des Moines, Ron met Marilyn B. Hanson on a blind date. On July 4, 1956, they were married. They had two children, and as a family, roller speed skating became a big part of their lives and provided many opportunities to travel and meet people from all over the country. Marilyn passed away on January 31, 1990. Ron retired from Mid-American Energy in 1995 after 39 years of service. In his retirement, he joined a large group of fellow Iowans on a bicycle ride across the USA, where he met Janice Pflibsen from Bode, IA. They were married at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Bode on November 8, 1997. They lived in Bode and wintered in Arizona. They moved to Humboldt in 2006. Ron’s favorite pastimes were working out at the gym and eating ice cream straight from the carton. One of his philosophies of life, one that he cultivated while in the Navy was “If I had to shovel shit against the tide, I would find a way to enjoy it.” Left to cherish Ron’s memory are his wife, Janice; two children, Bradley (Kimberly) Parker of Pleasant Hill and Deanna Polson of Johnston; 6 grandchildren, Grandchildren: Kelsey, Matthew & Aiden Parker & Jady, Ty, Shay Polson; half-sister Dianna (Robert) Vandervort of Des Moines and half-brother Jerry Parker of Des Moines. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Marilyn in 1990 and half-brother Charles Parker.

Ronald Parker

June 11, 1932 - March 3, 2019