Born in Tulsa, Okla., to a Southwestern oil-production family, he prepped at Andover. At Princeton, he was active in soccer and track and a member of Tiger Inn, while earning a degree in mechanical engineering in 1943.
Joe was soon commissioned as a Navy ensign and served in the amphibious forces during the New Guinea campaign. After the war, he earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering at the University of Texas in 1947. In 1960 he joined the family business, the Lewis Petroleum Co. in San Antonio, as a partner and immersed himself in San Antonio and Texas professional, civic, and historical clubs and societies.
Joe married Mary Anne Chittim in 1944. Besides Mary Anne, his survivors include their daughter, Margarite Guggolz; a son, Joseph Jr.; a brother, William A. Parker ’53; a nephew, Harry J. Parker III ’80, and his wife, Madeleine Edwards Parker ’83; five grandchildren; and one great-grandson. To all the family, we extend our sincere condolences.