Kenneth Parker

Kenneth Parker Jr., who was affectionately known as Boobie, was born on May 4, 1964 in Baltimore, MD to Ken Parker Sr. and Mary Hall. Although his parents separated when he was young, he had Margaret and Carlin Brown to help guide and support him through his early life events. Ken attended Catholic School when he was young and despite sneaking in the song Knee Deep by Funkadelic at a school dance, he did go on to graduate from Forrest Park High School in Baltimore, MD. Ken moved to Washington State and attended Central Washington University in Ellensburg in his early adulthood. At CWU he played football and majored in business. While at CWU he also made connections with African American mentors from the Yakima Valley which led him to move to Yakima. While living in Yakima he also traveled for work to Alaska where he worked on the fishing boats and fishing industry. Upon one of his returns to Yakima, he met his wife Christina in 2001, at a clean and sober event at the Yakima Convention Center. Christina noticed how Ken liked to dress nice, down to the details of matching watch, chain and ring. They became smitten with each other just like high school teenagers and began to build a life together. Ken added to his children, Monica Flight, Cameron Henderson, and Damien Rodriguez when he and Christina had his youngest daughter, Ciara. Ken also raised Christina's son Daniel as his own.  The invention of social media and his love of family allowed Ken to connect with most of his family or friends from back East. He loved reminiscing, hearing about how things were back home and how his family was doing. He loved being called “Pop Pop.” Ken loved God.  He wrote one day about some of his goals.  The first one was to put God first above everything, praise God, for he gets all the praise, "I love you God."  His second goal was to take care of his family, listen to them and understand. He and Christina always made God a priority in their lives. They shared a strong faith and commitment to family; they were married on November 9, 2003. Ken was also proud of his baptism date of March 6, 2005 at the Stone Church in Yakima, WA. Ken had many life endeavors and had a strong sense of business whether it was starting a music club which he did twice, food vending at pow wows and the Yakama Nation Treaty Day Rodeo, or his biggest business endeavor, Center for Change. Ken had a vision of providing a program that taught basic culinary and barista skills to people while also providing a food and beverage environment for the public to enjoy.  He, along with his wife and several others, opened Center for Change in 2007 in Toppenish, WA.  Ken developed the concept for the program after working with friends in Seattle through the Fare Start program in Seattle, WA.  Fare Start helped Ken to connect with many individuals and sponsors such as Starbucks.  Ken was the main chef, teacher, and business operator. Many people came to love Ken's food, hospitality and compassion for others. Ken also ran a car detail business, Time to Shine, where he obtained the contract to clean and detail the trucks for Darigold. Many family and friends knew Ken (and Christina) for their cooking/catering. He was famous for his barbecue, in both Washington and California. Most recently through his business K C’s Sweet Mesquite he was known for his brisquette and baked beans. Ken and Christina always welcomed family and friends to their home and he enjoyed music and dancing. Ken was a great story teller, had a great smile, was respectful and always offered prayers for others. Ken left an indelible mark on everyone he met and we will remember him always. Although he is at peace with the Lord, ours eyes fill with tears as we recall past events and memories yet to make. We hope he and other family members that have gone to their rest continue to smile and watch over us until we see them again. Ken was preceded in death by his mother Mary Hall, Margaret and Carlin Brown Sr., his paternal siblings, Keith Parker and Billy Petty John; his maternal siblings, Sue Hall and Patricia Hall. Survivors include his wife Christina Parker, father Ken Parker Sr., Paternal Siblings:  Kena Parker-Johnson (Edward), Catherine "Denny" Parker-PettyJohn and Keesha Parker-Bivens (Terrence). Maternal Siblings:  Mae Hall-Hunter (Darren), and Rae Hall. His children include Monica Flight, Cameron Henderson, Daniel Zack, Damien Rodriguez, and Ciara Parker. Grandchildren:  Michael, Unique, Kalyn, Love, and Zavian Jr. (ZJ) Services for Ken will be on Monday January 4, 2021. Viewing will occur at Valley Hills Funeral Home in Wapato, WA from 9:30a.m. to 11 a.m. Service will begin at 11a.m. at Valley Hills Funeral Home and burial will occur at 12:15 p.m. at the Toppenish Cemetery, also on January 4, 2021. Social distancing will be observed throughout. Services will be limited to immediate family and friends. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Kenneth Parker, please visit our flower store.