Obituaries

On March 19, 2018, Dorothy Parker passed away at the age of 88. Dorothy Eleanor Muir was born in Oakland on August 15, 1929, to Alice and William Muir. She was raised in Alameda. Her grandfather was Christian Halvorsen, Captain of the Star of Alaska, (AKA Balclutha, which is maintained as a museum in San Francisco). Dorothy (Dott) graduated from Alameda High School, class of 1947, attended business school and worked in banking in San Francisco. She joined the Alameda Ski Club, where on a trip to Sugar Bowl, met Terrence (Terry) Parker. Dott and Terry married in 1950 and lived in Castro Valley. Dott was the loving and caring mother to three children. In 1961, the family moved to the Mission Ranch neighborhood in Fremont. Dott was active in the children’s activities including Campfire, Scouting, Rainbow and swim teams. As the children grew independent, Dorothy worked as a Tour Guide at Leslie Salt in Newark. The family enjoyed camping vacations primarily in California, but also toured across the US. In 1970, the family bought property and built the family ski cabin at Kirkwood Ski Resort, which became the primary destination for many subsequent family vacations to this day. Dott and Terry hosted countless family gatherings at both homes. The Parker home and backyard pool was a magnet for neighborhood friends to gather with the family. They also enjoyed traveling throughout the world, especially after Terry retired from Ford in 1985. They remained active with neighbors and friends from the Masonic organizations including Eastern Star. A rotating dinner club kept the group meeting periodically over dinner for decades. Dott and Terry also kept close ties with a group of homeowners from Kirkwood. Beginning in elementary school, Dott made friends easily and nurtured an ever-growing circle of life-long friends. For example, the entire wedding party joined them to celebrate their 50th anniversary. After over 60 years of marriage, Terry passed in 2011. Dorothy moved across Fremont to Brookdale Senior Living following a stroke in 2016. At Brookdale, Dott maintained friendships with prior neighbors as well as creating many new friends. Dott’s caring friendships touched many and she will be deeply missed. Dott leaves her three children Diane Panos, Jennifer Petersen (Ken), Larry Parker (Joan); grandchildren Michael Panos, Stacey Panos, Adam Petersen, Lisa White (Nathan), Scott Parker (Caitlin) and Eric Parker (Emily); and great grandchildren Isaac and Aaron White.