Willa Dean Parker, aged 91, passed into the arms of her Lord on August 23, 2026 in Tucson, AZ. Willa was born September 5, 1934 in Barnsdall, OK to Dean Jesse and Ruby Irene Leard.
A child of the Dust Bowl, Willa’s early life was spent living between Oklahoma and California. She loved to share stories about the times her parents would load the family and belongings up and hit Route 66 seeking work and shelter. The trials, tribulations and hard-earned joys that those days brought helped make Willa the strong, resourceful and intelligent woman she grew to be. Willa attended school in Barnsdall, OK as well as San Jose and Bakersfield, CA.
In her mid-teens Willa Dean settled in Pawhuska, OK where she worked in a local drug store and waitressed at the Duncan Hotel. It was there that she met and fell in love with Lloyd Wesley Parker. They were wed in Bartlesville, OK on January 5, 1951. She was 16, he was 18.
While Lloyd labored as a roughneck in the oil fields, Willa raised their four children and stood by her husband as he worked his way up through several positions in the petroleum industry. The family lived briefly in Carmen, OK before settling in Hennessey, OK in 1966.
In the mid-1970’s Willa supported her husband’s decision to form his own business, Lloyd Parker and Son Construction, an oil construction company. The couple poured their time, energy and efforts into making it a successful business. The couple also owned Parker Sporting Goods that Willa managed. Willa was active in the Hennessey community, serving as president of the Hennessey Country Club’s Women’s Association and the Lioness Club and held both local and state offices in Eastern Star. She learned to play duplicate bridge, a skill and passion she enjoyed the rest of her life.
Following her husband’s passing in 1988 Willa moved to Enid, OK. She earned her CNA degree and worked at Golden Oaks Assisted Living for several years. In 2007 she settled in Kansas City, MO to be closer to her son and his partner. Following his retirement in 2020, Willa moved with her son to Silver City, NM and then to Tucson, AZ in 2025. She was a resident of The Cottages of Tucson, a memory-care center, at the time of her passing.
Willa was preceded in death by her husband, parents, daughter Dayna Logan, grandson Nathan Kilpatrick, cherished mother-in-law Rose Alameda Parker and siblings Earl “Chuck” Leard, Lucille Stewart, Phillip R. Leard and Julius Leard.
She is survived by daughters Kathryn Kolberg (Ed) of Guthrie, OK, Karen Notheis of Yukon, OK, son Lloyd Dale Parker and life companion Leo Andrade of Oro Valley, AZ, grandsons Jeremy Lee (Stephanie), Nicholas Waggoner, David Wesley Jobe, granddaughter Kristina Vculek and seven great grandchildren.
A graveside memorial, arranged through Cordry-Gritz Funeral Home of Hennessey, will be held Friday, September 4 at 10 a.m. at the Hennessey Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Willa’s name to Mountain Shadows Presbyterian Church in Tucson at www.mountainshadowschurch.org. Please choose the “Other Special” giving option and include “Willa Dean Parker Memorial” in the note section.
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