of Searcy, AR

November 5, 1945 - February 21, 2025

Sandra Letz Parker, 79, of Searcy, AR passed away on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 after a brief illness.

She was born on November 5, 1945 in Stamford, Texas to Marvin and Ruby Hisey Letz. She grew up in Haskell and Old Glory, Texas and attended Abilene Christian College before marrying Mike Parker in 1965.

She spent her life in service to others and no listing of her good deeds adequately recounts all the ways she helped and encouraged us all.

During the early years of their marriage, Sandra worked multiple jobs simultaneously to support Mike through his undergraduate and graduate studies, culminating in his doctoral degree in Biochemistry from the University of Texas. She worked full-time in the ACC Campaign Office and part-time grading papers for the math department. She typed papers, worked as a nanny and found other odd jobs to make ends meet. She was especially pleased and amused by the security clearance she received while working for Tracor, an Austin company that performed sonar testing for the U.S. Navy. After she and Mike started their family, she devoted herself to caring for her daughters before finishing her own accounting degree from Stephens College in Columbia, MO in 1981.

Her love for numbers and scrupulous attention to detail meant that she worked long hours and was a top performer in every position she held. Her career's final chapter began in 1989 when she took a job as an accountant for a small environmental engineering firm in Norman, OK. As the company grew, she turned down an offer to become CFO when it was known as the Benham Group and had become one of the top 100 Architectural and Engineering firms in the country. By the time she retired in 2012, she was the 11th longest-serving employee out of more than 44,000 and that company had been through at least 14 name and ownership changes to become SAIC. She was admired, respected and treasured by her staff. She spent her last year traveling through the U.S. and Canada as a trainer for SAIC's accounting software, then retired and moved to Colorado Springs.

Sandra was the ultimate good sport, willing to go along with any adventures and ideas that the family proposed, including a family pizza ministry to promote community connections and good causes. She was a mentor to countless young women. She was an excellent cook who loved to feed guests in her home. She enjoyed hosting meals for prospective Harding students and their families, feeding the track team over holiday breaks, holding annual gatherings for students from Colorado and putting on monthly themed parties for her grandchildren and their friends. She was creative and capable and generous with her time and talents. Whether planning churchwide ski trips for 100, children's worship or Vacation Bible School, she avoided the spotlight and preferred to serve behind the scenes, always leaving things better (and cleaner) than she found them. She joined her family on multiple mission trips to Mexico to work in a children's home and most recently to Israel on a ''Dan to Beersheba'' tour. She was truly a ''good and faithful servant'' and an active member of the Church of Christ.

She was deeply devoted to her husband of 60 years, Mike Parker and two daughters and their husbands, Caryllee and Craig Cheatham of Colorado Springs and Micalynn and Chris Barker of Searcy. She also was the beloved ''Gobby'' to grandchildren Parker Cheatham and fiancée Kathleen Ogden of Huntsville, AL, Lisanne Cheatham Sims and husband, Seth Sims of Tulsa, OK and Sara and Caleb Barker of Searcy; as well as a host of adopted Harding University students who addressed her by that name.

She is also survived by her sister, Marlene Denton of Temple, Texas; her brother and sister-in-law, Fred and Linda Letz of Colleyville, Texas; her sister-in-law, Sandra B. Parker of Norman, OK and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Her family will host a celebration of Sandra's life on Sunday, March 16, 2025 at 1pm at Cone Chapel on the Harding University campus.

In lieu of flowers and in recognition of her affection and passion for students, memorial contributions may be made to the Mike and Sandra Parker Scholarship Fund at Harding University.

Obituary Provided By:
Roller-Daniel Funeral Home
411 East Race Avenue
Searcy, AR  72145
www.rollerfuneralhomes.com