William “Parker” Tuten, Jr., son of William Parker Tuten, Sr. and Mabryce Westbury Tuten, died peacefully on December 23, 2023, at his home on his beloved Bluefield Farms in Jacksonboro, South Carolina.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 19, 1943, he graduated from Cottageville High School and attended Clemson College.
Parker married Sally Starr and they had two children, Virginia Godwin Tuten and William Parker Tuten, III. He later married Suzanne Madsen Davis and accepted into his family her daughters Margaret “Rhett” Davis and Amanda Davis.
Parker’s life changed drastically in 1981 when he suffered a life altering accident while working on Sugar Hill Farm in Allendale, South Carolina. He met the challenges from his injuries head on. While others may have faltered under such debilitating injuries, his positive outlook served as an inspiration and a beacon of hope to many. Parker never complained or questioned his fate, but instead embraced the challenges he faced with courage. He was fiercely independent and fought until the end to maintain his freedom. Even as he battled his final illnesses he proclaimed that he had had a good life and had always been a healthy individual.
A music lover and an avid reader, Parker was an outsdoorsman at heart. He enjoyed deer hunting and fishing, and even simply sitting on his back porch. Parker was a long-time member of Bluefield Hunting Club where he reveled in many hunts and the camaraderie of the fellow members. Every October for over fifty years he attended the Marsh Hen Hunt at Edisto Beach with many of his lifelong friends.
Parker is survived by his son, William Parker Tuten, III (Dorcas) and their children Agnes Penelope Tuten and Wiley Parker Tuten, and is also survived by his daughters, Virginia Godwin Tuten, Rhett Davis Bearden and her son Casey Bearden, and Amanda Davis Reid (William) and their son Matthew Reid. He leaves behind his sister, Parma Tuten Holt, his special “in-law” family Nancy Moorer and Hope Moorer, and his faithful companions Fanny and Stella.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to any of the following: Jacksonboro Baptist Church, the St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3673 Maybank Highway, John’s Island, SC, or to Boys Farm, Inc. 6655 Highway 34/121, Newberry, SC.
In accordance with Parker’s wishes, he was interred in simple private graveside service Tuesday afternoon, December 26, 2023 at the cemetery he created years ago on his family property. Parker-Rhoden Funeral Home, 117 Paul Street in Walterboro was in charge of arrangements.
