Sgt. Tom Parker, 34-year Henrico Police veteran, dies at 58

Sgt. Lawrence T. "Tom" Parker was a natural leader. Aided by a booming voice and a physique seemingly chiseled from granite, Sgt. Parker cast a commanding, larger-than-life presence wherever he went.

A 34-year veteran of the Henrico County Division of Police and retired sergeant major with the Marine Corps Reserve, "he was a role model for our younger officers," said Henrico police Maj. Mary Ellen Fahed.

Sgt. Parker was a fixture within the department. Whether it was serving as a member of its tactical SWAT team or participating in the honor guard, he led by example, showing others the right way to do things, co-workers said.

He died Sunday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 58. A memorial service will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Henrico County Firing Range, 6550 La France Road, in Sandston. The location is fitting: It is where Sgt. Parker served for 29 years as a gun-range instructor.

"He was a strong mentor. He corrected when it needed to be corrected; he guided; he was inspirational to a lot of guys," said Henrico police Capt. Chris S. Alberta. "If you attend the service on Thursday, you'll see a lot of burly guys, probably bawling their eyes out, because Tom affected a lot of people."

In the field, Sgt. Parker maintained a focused intensity on the task at hand, officers said, and he was decorated as both a police officer and a Marine.

A combat veteran who served in 1991 in Iraq and Kuwait during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal, among others, for his service in the Middle East. In November, he received the 2008 Congressional Veteran Commendation from U.S. Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, during a ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial.

Sgt. Parker was twice awarded Medals of Valor from the Henrico Division of Police, including one for his role in stopping a suicidal man who tried to flee officers on Interstate 295. Sgt. Parker's actions that day in August 1999 were cited for preventing serious harm to other officers, citizens and property.

He was the type of officer others respected, using his controlled aggression in some of the department's most dangerous missions, fellow officers said. He was one of the original members of Henrico's SWAT team when it was formed in the mid-1970s.

"If you've got to go through the door in a bad place, he was who you wanted with you," Henrico police Lt. Ivan Lawson said.

That gruff, gung-ho exterior couldn't mask the softer side of Sgt. Parker, the father of three who loved children, read poetry and cut out inspirational quotes.

His compassion carried over into the field. Minutes after helping execute a search warrant with a forced entry, "he'd always turn around and go back to the car and get a bag of candy [and] hand the candy to the children," Alberta said.

Sgt. Parker's survivors include his wife, Cindy Wood Parker of Glen Allen; a son, L.T. Parker Jr.; two daughters, Christina Lynn Parker and Kelley Michelle Parker; his mother, Dorothy Webster Mountjoy Parker of Richmond; two brothers, James Doyle Parker Jr. and Robert Daniel Parker; and two grandchildren.

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or .