PARKER, Jacob "Jake"
Leonard
With heavy hearts, we mourn the loss of Jacob "Jake" Leonard Parker, our beloved son, brother and friend, who was taken from us in a tragic auto accident the morning of July 18, 2024, near where he lived in Arlington, Virginia.
Jake was born on December 23, 1994, in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside his twin sister, Leah Marie Parker. He worked as a Machine Learning Engineer on classified projects for Booz Allen Hamilton at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. He was a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where he majored in Statistics and Machine Learning, with a minor in Computer Science. He was recruited by CMU's XC coach his senior year at Woodward Academy, where he graduated as one of Woodward's top runners in 2013. He spent his elementary years attending the Wardlaw School of the Atlanta Speech School.
Jake was an Eagle Scout who valued the majesty and beauty of the natural world. His love of camping & hiking began with his years as a Boy Scout in Troop 197, and continued into hiking in Yosemite, New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Colorado. He loved exploring the world, and was an amateur fisherman, an enthusiastic trail runner, and an avid rock climber.
Jake's creativity and insatiable curiosity led him to have many interests, including sculpting, environmental and world issues, video games, music, and cutting-edge ML research. He especially loved cooking - researching the best gadgets and mastering the processes that skilled cooking required. He found great joy in trying new foods and creating unique dishes to share with others. He filled his apartment with the technical papers, books and novels that inspired him.
Both silly and serious, Jake had a propensity to intellectualize and philosophize. He was thoughtful, highly intelligent, strong-willed and determined. He shied away from calling attention to himself or inconveniencing others, and he was doggedly loyal and quick to laugh with those he loved. He had a good and pure heart and a great capacity to love those around him.
Jake will always be dearly loved and deeply missed.
Jake is survived by his parents, Sue Ann Parker and Randall (Randy) Jay Parker, Atlanta, GA; twin sister, Leah Marie Parker, Brooklyn, NY; his maternal grandmother, Bonnell Eley Parker, Talbotton, GA; his paternal grandmother, Loraine Whiteford Parker, Harwich, MA; his maternal aunt, Bonnie Marie Parker, Columbus, GA; his paternal aunt, Diane Parker Burbank (Whit), Canandaigua, NY; his paternal uncle, Dr. Kenneth Charles Parker (Zoe), Hopkinton, MA; and his five cousins, Kristin Whiteford Burbank (Sam Bertelson), Lodi, CA; Jeffrey Maxfield Burbank (Esther), Forest Hills, NY; Troy Whittaker Burbank, New York, NY; Vera Parker Nigro (Nick), Auburn, MA; and Constance Amabel Parker, Hopkinton, MA. Jake was predeceased by his grandfathers Leonard Gresham Parker, Jr., and Dr. Charles Osgood Parker; and his paternal uncle, Glenn Whiteford Parker.
Please join the Parker family in celebrating Jake's life on Friday, August 16, 2024, Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA, 1:00-1:30 PM Celebration of Life - Moore Chapel, 1:30-3:30 PM Reception - Heritage Hall.
In lieu of flowers, Jake would wish for us all to be mindful of others, treat everyone with kindness, and move through the world with authenticity.
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