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Isaac Edward "Eddie" Parker

April 23, 1916 - January 07, 2012

Isaac Edward "Eddie" Parker

Isaac Edward (Eddie) Parker was born in Vincennes, Indiana on April 23rd, 1916. He died on January 7, 2012. Eddie Parker was preceded in death by his wife, Jennie Louise Summerlin Parker and his son Joseph Edward Parker. Survived by daughter Ruby Mae Little (Charlie), daughter-in-law Karen Parker, three grandchildren, Charles (Chuck) Little, Mary Christine (Kris) Parker, Edward (Eddie) Leland Parker and eight great grandchildren. His mother died when Eddie was 7-years-old, and he was raised by his maternal grandmother and step-grandfather Nelson. For a time they lived in St. Louis Missouri. From there, Eddie and his grandparents moved to a summer house on an island located in the Caw River, still in Missouri. Granddad Nelson would go off looking for work, leaving Eddie and his grandmother (an invalid) alone. Eddie cared for his grandmother. When the river froze over, Eddie would walk 'cross. An old trapper that he met taught him how to set a trap line. He'd bring home rabbits. Someone gave the young man two very small coyote puppies. His grandmother said that he would never raise them, but he did. The male was given away to someone, but the female was a wonderful hunter. Eddie and the coyote would go hunting. She would sniff out rabbits and other small animals where they were buried in the snow. She'd pounce where their breathing had melted the snow. At night the coyote would sleep with Eddie. When the snow would start thawing, the river would rise, and there would be flooding. Whole houses would sometimes float by the island. The summer house was secure because it was situated high on rocky outcroppings. Finally, Eddie Parker and his grandparents moved to Florida. At first, they lived in Sanford, later moving to Fort Pierce. It was during the Great Depression the family had little. Eddie fished, got oysters, hunted. He was in the CCCs where he was located in North Florida. At one point he was up in a fire tower at a national forest, watching for fires. There were two horses that belonged to a forest ranger or maybe, two rangers. Nobody could ride them. Eddie Parker could ride both horses barebacked. One moonlit night he had ridden one of the horses to a square dance. On the way back, the horse was spooked, threw Eddie and galloped a short distance away. When he was called, the horse came back and was ridden on back home. Eddie worked on the WPA. He rode into work south of what was then Fort Pierce on an old bike his grandfather had repaired for him. Somewhere along the line he became friends with Leland (Tuffy) Summerlin. That led to Eddie Parker meeting Louise Summerlin. They married in 1937. For many years he worked for Florinda Farms which produced citrus fruit. There was a short break while he was away during World War II. When it was discovered that he could cook, he was put on troop trains to cook for the men. After the war, Eddie and his family lived on a citrus grove owned by Florinda Farms. After a number of years they moved into the town of St. Lucie where Eddie Parker had built a house. Always, he was learning from people he met. He was a wonderful fisherman. Eddie knew all of the best places to fish, when the fish were biting, what kind of bait the fish liked. He had taught himself how to work on automobiles, most any kind of motors. Eddie Parker and his wife knitted many mullet nets and at least one bait net. He was a man who was very intelligent, and he always liked to keep busy. His early life was very hard, and he never forgot it. Eddie's mind stayed sharp until the last. Although he eventually, had to give up fishing, Parker kept busy with different things. For awhile, he grew beautiful vegetables in containers. He knew a great deal about animals. There was a story he told where an antlered deer killed a rattlesnake. Once, Eddie was driving on a country road where a large king snake was stretched out. He stopped and got out of his car to see if the snake was dead. The problem was a large number of ticks attached to the snake's head. Eddie Parker managed to clear the ticks off of the snake. He always alleged he was bitten by water moccasins twice while in North Florida. He said the first bite made him a little sick, but the second didn't faze him. Eddie Parker was a strong man who enjoyed his life almost until the end.

Funeral Information

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., February 4th, 2012 at Yates Funeral Home, Fort Pierce with Rev. James Bennett officiating. Inurnment will be at Viking Cemetery, Fort Pierce.

Directions

Service:  Map to Fort Pierce Funeral Home

 Isaac Edward

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