Parker Blaine Henry

Parker Blaine Henry, who inspired those close to him with his joyful spirit, loving soul, sense of humor, and fierce determination, died peacefully in his sleep on September 6, 2023, inside of his Bowling Green apartment. He was 28.

Parker was born to Thomas B. Henry and Jordie Weiss Henry on January 21, 1995, inside what is now called Mercy Health - St. Vincent Medical Center.

He graduated in 2013 from Maumee High School, where he played on the school's junior varsity and varsity football teams. He also wrestled a year, and ran cross country and track at Gateway Middle School.

Parker found his real passion for athletics across the Maumee River in nearby Perrysburg, though. During the last semester of his senior year at Maumee High School, he learned about the Perrysburg Jackets Rugby Club and was pleased to be eligible for it.

The positive experience he got as a member of that team became a game-changer in his life. The Henry family is grateful for encouragement he got from coaches Phil Gutkowski and Dan Ketterman, as well as other mentors.

Parker carried his love for rugby and athletics 20 miles south to the Bowling Green State University campus, where he became a proud member of BGSU's famed rugby club.

He played on that campus and many others across the Midwest, as well as in West Virginia.

Parker was on one of two reserve squads that stayed in Bowling Green and cheered on the A squad from afar when it traveled to Charlotte, N.C., and won the school's first national championship on Dec. 2, 2018.

That was during the BGSU Rugby Club's 50th year of existence. Earlier that same year, Parker traveled with the BGSU team to Italy, its biennial trip to play rugby overseas.

The family is grateful to Roger Mazzarella and his son, Tony Mazzarella, for the leadership they have shown with the BGSU Rugby Club. That includes their efforts in building the confidence of countless young men, including Parker, and helping them develop strong work ethics.

Parker had high-functioning autism, also known as Asperger's Syndrome. When he received his diagnosis at age 5 following tests by a team of about 17 area experts, his future was summed up in one word: He was deemed as "teachable."

He persevered with the help of some key people in the special needs community, and fought hard to succeed against the odds. He was part of a first wave of students with an autism diagnosis who came through the Maumee City School District. Several educators and district officials have said he inspired them to learn more about that condition.

Parker began his BGSU academic career in the university's kinesiology and exercise science program, then transitioned over to general studies. He accomplished his long standing goal of getting a college degree in 2022, when he was awarded a Bachelors of Arts degree from BGSU.

His goal was to become an athletic trainer or to have some other connection to athletics and team sports.

Parker loved weightlifting and worked out religiously. Health and nutrition became his special focus.

He attended The Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus on multiple occasions, where he met some of the world's top weightlifters.

Parker played from time to time with the Toledo Celtics recreational rugby club, including at several of its annual Put-in-Bay games each June.

He also enjoyed playing with various clubs at several of the annual Beach Rugby tournaments held at Edgewater Park in Cleveland each July.

He loved Florida beaches and beaches in general, including freshwater beaches in the Great Lakes region. They gave him a real sense of peace and serenity.

Parker also loved animals of all kinds, from dogs and squirrels to large predators such as lions and tigers.

He spent several years in local scouting organizations, first in Cub Scouts and then in Boy Scouts.

He inspired people with his zest for life and the hard work he put in at everything he did, whether it was rugby, his summer jobs at the Toledo Zoo, the jobs he held down at multiple restaurants in later years, or his daily workout regimen at the gym.

Survivors include Parker's parents, Thomas Blaine Henry and Jordie Weiss Henry; his brother, Ian Gardner Henry; his grandfather, Wilson Blaine Henry; an aunt, Betty Weiss; and three cousins, John Weiss, Ronald Weiss, and Elizabeth Weiss.

He was preceded in death by three grandparents, Robert Charles Weiss, Georgia McKenzie Weiss, and Barbara Jean Henry; three uncles, Thomas Rodney Weiss, Robert Parker Weiss, and Richard Charles Weiss; and two aunts, Susan Grace Henry and Holly Lynn Henry.

A memorial service is scheduled for noon Saturday, September 30, 2023 at Maumee United Methodist Church, 405 Sackett St., Maumee. The family will meet with friends and relatives from 10 a.m. until noon.

A private burial will take place the following week in Riverside Cemetery, Maumee.

Arrangements are being handled by Newcomer Funeral Home's Southwest Chapel, 4752 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo.

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