Bruce Jay Parker

OBITUARY

Bruce Jay Parker died in Bethesda, Maryland, on Valentine ‘s Day, 2026. Dementia is a horrible disease, and he had been sick for several years. Throughout his life, he was a mischievous cherub, laughing at himself…training for dementia by losing things, getting lost, bungling names, forgetting words. His antics – the thrice missed exit, the collapsed lung from tumbling off a skateboard, the epic dancing – are legendary. He was impish, rascally, and passionate, bringing smiles all around. He is survived by his wife, Betty Parker, Bethesda, Maryland, and two daughters, Ashley and Justine Parker.

But what his daughters, Ashley and Justine, mainly remember is that he always showed up: bagels every Sunday, bringing a chair to the sidelines of their soccer games, with the dog’s leash in one hand and a stack of magazines and newspapers in the other. He was in the bleachers of Ashley’s early afternoon JV basketball games, still in a suit because he’d rushed straight from work. He became a pro at all their athletic events with bags of Tootsie Pops to pass out to the other parents. Or in the driveway, with heaps of magazines and papers, talking to everyone who wandered by.

A 1961 graduate of Scranton Central High School, he was born May 29, 1943, in Scranton, to the late Jerome and Rose Parker. He received an English degree from UC-Berkeley, law degree from the University of Tulsa, and served two years in the Army in West Berlin. He spent most of his career at the National Solid Waste Management Association (later rebranded as Environmental Industries Association), an organization he loved, and led as its president and CEO.

Bruce’s true passion was his wife, Betty, and his two girls, Ashley and Justine. He also is survived by his granddaughters, Zoe, Mazarine and Nell Bender, his son-in-law, Michael Bender, and his brother, Phil Parker.

Contributions in Bruce’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011 or http://alz.org

Bruce Jay Parker

February 14, 2026