Raymond "John" Parker

Raymond “John” Parker of West Boylston, MA passed away after an extended illness on June 26, 2023.  He was born on 22 November, 1951 in Auckland, New Zealand, the eldest child of Ray and Maureen (nee Skinner) Parker.  John initially pursued studies in Psychology before embarking on a career as a professional musician.  He played lead guitar and toured for many bands in New Zealand and Australia, including Rock Candy and Shotgun. In the 90’s, his interest in Psychology resurfaced and led to a chance meeting with Lori Badura, who became his wife in 1997.  John moved from Sydney, Australia to the United States where Lori worked as a neuroscientist researcher and clinician, and they worked together on understanding the mechanisms of the human mental emotional system that give rise to self-identity and life attitude over the next two decades.

John lived in Massachusetts since 2013 and continued to compose and play music.  He also became an avid competitor in USPSA, participating in local matches as well as regional championships.  The innovative concepts and theories he developed about the human psyche have been applied to anxiety and addictive disorders, and a synopsis of his life work will be published to his website (Percepts.us) in the near future.  He was also fascinated by birds of prey and enjoyed watching the resident red-tailed hawks near his home during the last year of his life.  He was a strong believer in the balance of nature, a lover of animals of all forms, and lived by the credo that in life, you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, and there is only small stuff.

He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Lori, his son Johnny, grandchildren Elsa and Loui, and by his three sisters, Vivienne, Donna, and Kathy and his in-laws Robert and Marlene Badura.  A celebration of his life will be held later this summer, and donations in his name can be made to either Raptor Tails Rescue in Shrewsbury, MA or to St Jude's Hospital.