John Mark Parker was born November 9, 1964 in the Galveston County Hospital  in Texas City, Texas  to Bernard and Marceil Parker.  He passed from this life on December 28, 2024.  He is survived by his parents, Bernard and Marceil Parker, his brother Gregory Paul Parker (Nyuk Fong Loh Parker) and brother Jeffrey Scot Parker (Kerry Lyn Oliver Parker), nephews Kade Russell Parker ( Jordan Diaz-Parker), Leyton Stuart Parker, Kai Leonard Parker and Kelton Loh Parker.

Mark graduated from Clear Creek High School, League City, Texas in 1983 and from Abilene Christian University in 1988 with a teaching degree in Elementary Education.  He taught elementary music in the Clear Creek School District for 30 years before retiring.  He received a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Houston at Clear Lake.

Mark’s first teaching job was in the Pasadena School District for a very short stay before coming back to the Clear Creek schools.  He began at Whitcomb elementary in Clear Lake and taught there until he had the chance to open the music department at Falcon Pass Elementary.  He stayed there until he was asked to do the same job at Robinson Elementary, where he spent the rest of his teaching career.  He spent his days as a teacher and choir director for the schools he worked at.  Mark was instrumental in helping to begin the Clear Creek ISD Children’s Honor Choir, which rehearsed in the summer to perform in the Clear Creek School District Imagination Celebration in the fall.  One of his former colleagues noted that he was the “Pronouncer” for our school’s Spelling Bee.  Yearly, he took the choir to sing in the Nassau Bay “Welcome to Santa Claus.”

One colleague said, ” He was a big part in our yearly talent show and led 2^nd and 4^th grade musicals each year.  When a teacher or staff member retired, he helped write ‘memory books’ and a song.  He wrote the school song that we still sing monthly at school character connections.  Mark played a big part in Robinson Elementary becoming a National School of Character.”

Over Mark’s Junior High and High School years, he spent time developing Bible class curriculum and handouts for the kid’s classes at  League City Church of Christ, some of which are still used today.  He started teaching Bible class for kids at the old age of 12 years.

There are very few family members who did not benefit from Mark’s decoration skills at their weddings.  Sometimes this included making center pieces for tables and center aisle decorations with hand-made bows and flower arrangements.  At Christmas time, no one wanted to tear open packages wrapped by Mark because they were so beautiful. (One time the nephew’s packages were wrapped like a Santa suit with his black belt on a red suit.)  Often his parent’s, brother’s and Sisters- in-law’s packages were adorned with hand-made bows worthy of the most fashionable magazines.  Beautiful or not, we did eventually find the goodies inside.

Mark was a man whose quiet, gentle qualities easily brought him friends that lasted for a lifetime.  He was thoughtful, caring, compassionate, creative and artistic.  With these qualities he could have been successful in a number of fields but he chose the less than lucrative field of education because he loved children; and, not having any of his own, he chose the much larger number of the classroom to work with.  After retiring from teaching, he reaffirmed the same priorities by choosing people-oriented activities over salary.  He enjoyed meeting the people that rode in his car when he worked for Uber, several here today may have ridden with him.  He then went to work for Cracker Barrel, working in the store where he could more readily interact with the guests that would come in.  I’m sure if he recognized you there, he would have sought you out and given you a tour of the Cracker Barrel merchandise.

When I think about Mark, I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 14:7

For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.

Mark was an unassuming quiet helper who was willing to give of himself without looking for credit.  We will miss you greatly.

A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 11:00am at League City Church of Christ, 1801 East Main, League City, Texas  77573 with Brother Ralph Bryant presiding.

Service will be live streamed at lccofc.org