John Parker of South Jordan, UT, has passed away, leaving behind a family and community who loved him dearly.
What follows is written with love, by those who knew him best.
There are losses that teach us the weight of a life.
John Frederick Parker returned home to his Heavenly Father on April 28, 2026, in Riverton, Utah. John was born on March 7, 1952, in Logan, Utah, to Vernon Beldon Parker and Melita Sophia Fehler. He is the youngest of five siblings.
John was raised in Ventura, California, and graduated from Buena High School, where he met the love of his life, Charlyn Parker, at a dance during their junior year. They've been married 55 years. John's sense of fun is memorialized in his high school yearbook with a photo of him leaning out of his car window to open his locker after driving it into the main hall. John taught Charlyn to laugh, and Charlyn taught him to be responsible. He taught the kids to have fun with mischief and adventure, and she did her best to keep everyone alive. They complemented each other perfectly.
John and Charlyn spent the earliest years of their marriage living in Rantoulle, Illinois, and Minot, North Dakota, while John served his country for six years in the United States Air Force, working with Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems. The family returned to California at the end of his service.
John was a proud dad to three of the most perfect children ever born (and possibly the best-looking) and spent countless years manufacturing mischief, playing practical jokes, and making his friends and family laugh. He was frequently assigned the role of Santa at Christmas functions and never turned down the opportunity. We rarely saw him without a twinkle in his eye.
Though his children didn't appreciate it at the time, his endless auto-mechanic lessons taught them more than how to bleed brakes and change the oil. He taught his kids to work hard and value the things they hold dear. John taught his children not to give up. Even when they were tired and wanted to quit, he kept them moving with encouragement and love.
John never met a stranger. He was 74, but when he looked in the mirror, he saw a 20-year-old with the zest for life of a young man. He was always up for an adventure. In fact, this last trip was completely spur-of-the-moment. We don't even know if he knew he was going. Thank God he didn't manage to talk Mom into going with him! We're not thrilled that he went and are in the process of writing a strongly worded letter to the higher-ups.
John was an active member of his church and community and served in several leadership positions throughout the years. He led countless youth hiking and camping in locations including the Sespe and Havasupai.
John spent his life working hard for his family and in the service of others, but in his free time, he loved old movies. His collection of Western, War Era, and Inspirational movies is legendary by anyone's standards. He never missed an opportunity to recommend the movie he thought you would enjoy. By the way, have you seen Bottle Shock?
John was a helper in every sense of the word. His acts of service included rescuing the stray goose that ended up almost killing him from I-15 traffic, spoiling the wife he doted on, and countless projects for family, friends, and neighbors. John was going to help you whether you liked it or not. If he couldn't provide an act of service, he made the effort to make others smile. John was known for years of passing candy through handshakes across the country and around the world. In fact, it wasn't uncommon for a 50lb box of Jolly Ranchers to be delivered to the Parkers' front porch. He knickname was Candyman. It all started with cinnamon-flavored Jolly Rancher candies at church.
John had a green thumb, evidenced by an annual lush and productive vegetable garden. His children lined their piggy banks with coins earned picking gross green worms off the tomato plants. He never had one pea manage to leave the garden because the kids ate them straight from the plants as fast as he could grow them. He also appreciated a good dough and produced killer cinnamon and dinner rolls at the drop of a hat. He moved on to pies in his later years and eventually graduated to become a prolific freeze dryer- just another example of his servant's heart and desire to provide for his family.
During his lifetime, John visited each of the 50 United States and many other countries. He spent years assembling a destination lapel pin collection and had a been-there-done-that board he proudly displayed in his office.
If you find yourself looking for him in Heaven, don't look for a mansion-on-high. He'll be busy happily tinkering away in his garage. Heavenly Father doesn't know how many projects he's about to embark on. You can bet that the angel's robes will be white, starched, and pH-balanced with no itching where the wings mount, and Heaven should soon be the new recipient of a top-of-the-line off-grid power source in case of emergency. He'll be busy, and we'll be busy until we meet again. He is loved and will be greatly missed.
John is preceded in death by his parents, Vernon and Melita, brother Bill, and sisters Patty and Sharron, his grandson Adam (who is now in charge of holding the pedal while grandpa bleeds the brakes).
John is survived by his wife Charlyn of Riverton, UT, daughters Kimberley (Troy) and Wendy (Ryan), son Curtis (Rachel), nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2026, from 6:00-8:00 pm at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, 1007 West South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, Utah.
Click this link to view additional details about John's Services,
including any available live streams: https://my.gather.app/remember/john-parker-2026
