[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN HONOR OF LIEUTENANT RANDALL E. PARKER, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a respected 
public servant, outstanding citizen, and hero to his community, Lt. 
Randall E. Parker, Jr. Sadly, Lt. Parker passed away in the line of 
duty on Wednesday, February 11, 2015. Funeral services will be held on 
Monday, February 16, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at the Macon City Auditorium in 
Macon, Georgia.
  Lt. Parker was a native to Georgia and had served as a firefighter 
with the Macon Bibb County Fire Department since July 2, 1990.
  In addition to risking his life everyday to fight fires in the area, 
Lt. Parker was very active in his community and went above and beyond 
to show his love and compassion for those around him. He was heavily 
involved in his church, Christ Chapel Sportstowne in Macon, and also 
spent time doing work for United Way, the American Cancer Society, and 
the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival. He was a loving family man to his 
wife and sons, and his legacy will live on in the minds and hearts of 
all those whose lives he touched in Middle Georgia.
  George Washington Carver once said, ``No individual has any right to 
come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him 
distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.'' 
Although his passing was tragic and before his time, Lt. Parker proved 
to us all what it truly means to be a hero. He left this world doing 
what he loved most--serving the people of Macon, Georgia. His 
impression on this earth extends beyond himself to the very wellbeing 
of the Macon community, and for it he will be remembered by the 
community for time to come.
  Lt. Parker is survived by his beloved wife of 14 years, Sandie; sons, 
Andrew and Chandler; mother and stepfather, Gwendolyn and Fred Dixon; 
brother and sister-in-law, Marcus and Teri Parker; and a host of other 
family members and friends.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with the more than 700,000 
residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District salute Lt. Randall 
E. Parker, Jr. for his exemplary service to Macon, Georgia as a 
firefighter and for the ultimate sacrifice he made in the line of duty. 
I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join us in 
extending our deepest sympathies to Lt. Parker's family, friends and 
loved ones during this difficult time. We pray that they will be 
consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the 
days, weeks and months ahead.

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