Wallace Eldon Parr

Wallace Eldon Parr, died peacefully at his son’s home March 22, 2026 at the age of 97. Wally was born December 13, 1928, on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Pendleton, Oregon and was a registered member of the Walla Walla tribe. He lived in Pierre, South Dakota and graduated first in his class from Cheyenne High School in Wyoming in 1946. He won a Pepsi Cola scholarship (a precursor to National Merit) and chose Carnegie Institute of Technology, studied mathematics, and graduated in 1950. He studied at University of Washington in Seattle, then moved to Maryland earning a PhD in mathematics from University of Maryland College Park. Wally worked at the Naval Ordinance Lab in White Oak, Maryland starting in 1951. He served in the Navy during the Korean War at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. He designed test pilot flights, working with future astronauts, including Alan Shephard, the first American in space. In 1966 he opened the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and was part of the original faculty of the Math Department. He taught mathematics and early computer programming classes at UMBC retiring in 1992. In 1952, he married Marie Gerhard. They had three boys, Dan, Eric and Steve, and enjoyed many adventures in their trailer to Indian River Inlet and across the country. They separated in 1976 and divorced in 1980 Wally met Cindy Bachman in 1980, they married in 1984 and moved to Kent Island. He welcomed Cindy’s daughters, Lynn, Wendy, and Lisa into his family. Wally had lifelong interests in photography (71 year collection), bowling, and projects. He worked on flywheels, voting, windmills, and Pythagorean triples. He wrote a daily family diary for 38 years. He will be remembered for his sharp mind, and many jokes. He is survived by his younger sister Jeanne Carter, his 2 sons, 3 daughters, 9 grandchildren (Chas, Shane; Tucker, Rosie; Jennifer, Sara; Brittany, Elena, William), extended family and many friends. He is pre-deceased by his parents Wallace O. and Florence Cardin; his brother Dick; Marie, Cindy, and his son Eric. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center in Columbia, MD 1-3 pm Saturday April 25th. https://uucolumbia.net/events/memorial-service-for-wally-parr/ Flowers would be appreciated, or a donation to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, in his name.

Wallace Eldon Parr

December 13, 1928 - March 22, 2026