Robert and Fayga Parker lived simple lives in the Coral and Howard City area. In recent years the couple both passed and were cremated, with no burial plot to physically mark their existence. 

Yet, their legacy continues in their family, who are dedicated to honoring the meaningful lives they led. 

“We think that memories of people live on only as long as their names are spoken,” said son Steve Parker. With that in mind, the family took action, making sure the couple’s love of community would continue through a fund with the Greenville Area Community Foundation. “By setting up a fund in their names, they will be remembered way beyond their brief times alive.”  

The family had gained an appreciation for the lasting impact community foundations can have through Molly Parker, Steve’s wife, and her work with the Grand Rapids Community Foundation.

The Robert W. & Fayga Parker Fund, established by Parker and his sister Almyra Parker, provides funding for grants supporting education in the area served by the Montcalm Panhandle Community Fund in the northwest part of Montcalm County.  

The couple were passionate about their corner of the world. “They were active in community organizations and always voted (though often their votes cancelled each other…),” Parker said. “They loved the next generation and knew the importance of good schools.” 

Since 2017, the fund has awarded more than $10,000 in grants to Tri County Schools for a variety of needs: operational support, pandemic supplies, reading programs, library books, and STEM programs. The most recent grant was part of a concentrated effort to improve student attendance rates and reading proficiency.  

Parker said the fund honors his parents by enabling others to “do good in the community that helped make us who we are.”  

“We were fortunate to be born to good parents, attend good schools, and work in prosperous times. We made decent money, were brought up to save it by our Great Depression-era parents, and invested it wisely,” he said. “It is only right that we pay some of it forward to benefit the community that helped raise us.” 

As GACF celebrates its 35th anniversary, we bring together the collective stories of donors, nonprofits, students, and community members to demonstrate the power of philanthropy in creating lasting impact and a stronger future.