James C. Parker, EQCM(SCW) USN, Ret.

February 10, 1936 – April 6, 2026

James C. “Jim” Parker, age 90 years, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 6, 2026, and is now

reunited in eternity with his wife of 70 years, Virginia May (Winn) Parker.

James was born in Johnson County, Missouri, to Marion Francis Parker and Ada Lucille (Campbell)

Parker, and joined the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1955 after graduating high school. He completed boot camp at

Great Lakes, Illinois, then returned to Warrensburg later that year and married his sweetheart Virginia May of

Deepwater, Missouri, on October 25, 1955. After their honeymoon, the Parkers relocated on military orders to

Port Hueneme, California, where James completed Construction Mechanic “A” School.

James completed 30 years in the Navy and retired as a Master Chief Equipmentman in 1985. He

proudly served with many shore and sea commands, including Amphibious Construction Battalion ONE, Naval

Mobile Construction TEN, Naval Mobile Construction SEVEN, and Commander, Construction Battalions Atlantic.

James also served with Defense Support Unit Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and with Naval Mobile Construction

Battalions 128 and 74, where he was forward deployed several times to combat zones in Vietnam. Upon his

return, he served as an instructor for Disaster Recovery Department Gulfport, Mississippi, during which time he

led teams of Seabees in the immediate rescue and recovery following Hurricane Camille in 1969, and

subsequently being assigned as Director, Construction Mechanic School at Gulfport. In 1974 James transferred

to the west coast where he served as computer systems coordinator for Civil Engineer Support Office Port

Hueneme, California. While attached to CESO, Jim designed the programming for the Naval Construction

Force’s heavy equipment maintenance program worldwide until his retirement from the Navy in 1985.

Following retirement, James and Virginia settled in Oxnard, California, where he began a second career

with Infotech, Inc. in Camarillo, California, as a project manager. Always supporting the Seabees, he

volunteered as a docent at the Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme, conducting tours and advocating for the

relocation of the museum outside the military facility’s perimeter to increase and encourage public visits and

tours. He also served as Commander, Navy Seabee Veterans of America Island X-7 in Ventura County, California,

and taught numerous MacIntosh computer courses to the public.

James was preceded in death by his wife Virginia May (Winn) Parker in May 2025. He is survived by his

four children, Margaret Hays (Brooks), Mary Parker (Ed Sheffield), Jamie Murray (Dean) and William Parker

(Liza); his niece Sharon Richards Miller, his nephew Bart Richards (Shelley) and their sons Parker Richards and

Bryant Richards. James also leaves behind ten grandchildren (Brandi, Jessica, Matthew, Robert, Christopher,

Nicholas, William, Jeffrey, Scarlett, and Mia), sixteen great grandchildren, one great-great grandson, and a

great-great granddaughter due to arrive in June.

Funeral services in California are Sunday, April 19, 2026 under the direction of O’Connor Mortuary &

Chapel, 25301 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. Funeral services and interment with full military honors

in Missouri are Saturday, April 25, 2026 under the direction of Sweeney-Phillips & Holdren Funeral Home, 617 N

Maguire Street, Warrensburg, MO 64093.