Dudley Parker Diamond

A JOYFUL EXPLANATION OF LIFE Parker Diamond, a life-long adventurer and former resident of Hawaii, a firefighter, commercial pilot, Inn and luxury town home owner in Stowe Vermont, veteran, patriot, and “Pick Up Litter” king of everywhere, traveled from his home in Hampton, New Hampshire to Heaven following an illness on September 13th, 2021 at the age of 78. Most of all he was the beloved school bus driver for the Hampton NH SAU 90 School System. He drove Bus J. He followed his departure with miracles – 2 of the current 20, and counting, are attached to this posting. Parker is survived by his loving wife and personal assistant! of 43 years, Janis Diamond, his many nieces and nephews, including Christopher Aubrey, Anne and Jackson Aubrey, Caroline Aubrey, Sarah Aubrey, Robbie Aubrey, Ronald Diamond – his brother, Deborah and John Diamond – his niece and nephew - along with countless friends and family members. Parker was born in Washington DC, during a black out in World War II. He went to Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland where he enjoys such close friendships with pals and family members that they still prevail. He adored his life-long friends there, and in Stowe Vermont, Hampton, and Hawaii. He said he enjoyed a 10 star childhood. His mother was the secretary at the Christ Episcopal Church where Janis and Parker were married. His father was a well-revered Judge presiding in the Montgomery County Courts; and did legal work for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC. (God bless the place) Parker served 2 years in the Army during the Vietnam War. Following his honorable discharge, he was known for the above noted accomplishments, but his favorite job, besides being the bus driver for Bus J and all of his precious kids, was working for The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Service. He identified his spirit and passion with Hawaiian spirit of Aloha. He worked with a crew of 10. Their job was to restore the back country trails after the 1975 Tsunami on the Big Island of Hawaii. He always felt he absorbed and emulated the Hawaiian Spirit. When he heard the strings of a ukulele – he cried. He had a plastic Hula girl on his dashboard – she was skinny due to her solar-powered work out program – Janis resented her. He married the love of his life, Janis Diamond, proposing to her after knowing her for 7 hours. They married 3 and a half months later on April 6, 1979. He continued his life-long career of adventure and service to others, founding and supervising the first mountain host program in New England -the Stowe Host program at Mt. Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont, where he and Janis also owned and operated an Inn and created their luxury home project - Riverwalk Town Tomes. His later years were spent as the beloved bus driver of Bus J. He worked for the magnificent Hampton NH School System SAU 90 where he brought smiles to the faces of dozens of students and teachers and administrators on a daily basis. Janis, a retired school teacher, became a substitute in Hampton. At one of the schools, Centre School, ages K, 1 and 2, Parker would drop the kids off, Janis would pick them up, teach them, and put them back on Bus J. They both embraced and absolutely loved their Norman Rockwell life in Hampton Beach New Hampshire; their home was a 50 second drive to the ocean – Parker timed it! Parker was the embodiment of kindness, patience, integrity and love. He earned the respect and admiration of his family, neighbors, and colleagues through his daily acts of kindness, his easy laugh, and his accepting nature. He was an avid outdoorsman and lover of nature; bicycling and hiking thousands of miles through the natural landscape of America that inspired him. He had a habit of picking up litter wherever he went – from beaches and swimming holes to city blocks and train stations. His “Pick Up Litter” stickers can be seen on guard rails, telephone poles and garbage cans from Maine to Key West. He and Janis spent countless hours picking up trash on the Marginal Way (a magnificent cliff walk along the Atlantic Ocean in Ogunquit Maine). It comes to a dead end at Perkins's Cove where they would imbibe on the famous Rum Punches at Barnacle Billy’s. One day they ran into the President of the Marginal Way Preservation Fund – on the Marginal Way. The woman asked Janis why she was picking up trash on the beloved Marginal Way. Janis said, “ this is not my idea, it is my husband’s, but he pays me in Rum Punches at Billy’s. Last weekend it cost him $87.00 (including 2 hot dogs). Janis told her that she suggested to Parker, that he should pay her by the hour. It could save him a lot of money. He wouldn’t hear of it. The Rum Punches were the pot of gold at the end of a Hawaiian Rainbow. He truly achieved what precious few human beings ever do: he left every person he met, every job he ever held, and every community he ever lived in better off than it was before. Parker still lives in the hearts of those who still love him. He has suggested to me that all who know him need to talk to him in the present tense and directly. The strength of his communication efforts and miracles would tend to support his position! A funeral mass is scheduled for 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Hampton NH. Parker’s Party will follow at The Old Salt in Hampton, New Hampshire. In lieu of flowers donations should be sent, via check or money order payable to the Parker Diamond Scholarship Fund to support any kid who has the desire to clean up America; land and sea. Send to DIAMOND P. O. BOX 604 Hampton, NH 03843. Notes of condolence can be sent to Janis Diamond 29 Bonair Avenue, Hampton NH 03842. Janis is asking that the attire should be summer colors, or Hawaiian shirts, jeans, shorts and as close to flip flops/sandals as you can get – weather permitting. NO BLACK ALLOWED - Parker would like you to refer to him not as “he WAS a nice guy”, but rather, he IS a nice guy! More personal notes from Janis - As the wife of Parker Diamond, I want to offer these words so that all who love Parker will find comfort, joy and hope. This is especially dedicated to his Bus J kids. Parker loves you. You are the joy of his life! Thank you for making Parker soooo happy for so many years! Several years ago, Parker said to me, “I would like to choose a sign, so if I go on to Heaven first, I will have a way of communicating with you.” He had witnessed the “purple daisy” sign that I had with my mom; a sign that manifested itself in multiple, miraculous ways, once she had passed on to Heaven. Parker has chosen sunflowers as his sign. Another love of his was hummingbirds. He had 15 hummingbird feeders at the Inn we had in Stowe VT; and several at our Hampton home. Parker passed on to Heaven on a Monday. I stayed at my girlfriend’s house Mon. and Tues. Then Weds. morning when I got up I went out to her patio. She had a planter of impatients out there- 4 feet high, 3 feet wide and 7 feet long. I said to Parker, “it has been 2 days and NO signs – all I see is scud clouds passing quickly in front of my eyes.” I was being very sassy with him. All of a sudden, a little guy hummingbird shows up and starts sticking his beak into a flower. After 5 seconds, I said to Parker, “I am very suspicious. There is not a hummingbird in creation, who behaves in this manner.” So, in a sassy voice, I said to him, “so, It appears that you have changed your sign from sunflowers to hummingbirds – is that what we are doing now?” The little guy hung around for 7 minutes!!! I went into the house and closed the slider. I had my nose pressed against the cold glass – staring at the flowers, when the little guy came back, flew up to the glass door and put his beak on my nose – staring me in the eye for 7 seconds and then took off. My girlfriend witnessed this and said he had to change up his sign so he could kiss you on the nose. That was his only choice! I was ecstatic. “I got my first miracle!!!” With this miracle in hand, I was referred to a retired nun who was a social worker, psychologist and a person who is very aware of the states in which souls pass. I told her of the hummingbird miracle and she said, “the strength of the communication between you and your husband is unusually strong. This is just the beginning for you. Be aware of what goes on in and around your home.” I went on my way and the next day, my niece and I were in our home alone. The doorbell rang out Parker’s tune: “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light”. I saw, through the front door window, a woman standing there with a big bouquet of sunflowers. I thought, well, a neighbor got wind of Parker’s sign. I will, nonetheless, receive the gift graciously. I said to her. “Are these from a local florist?, “No”. Do you live in Hampton?”. “No, but I have a message for you. A man came to me in my sleep last night and told me to deliver a bouquet of sunflowers to this address.” Speechless is an underestimate to describe my frozen state. I yelled to my niece, “Come down here, there is something spectacular going on!” The woman told her the story – she burst into tears, telling her Uncle Parker how much she loved him. Then she asked the woman if she had seen what the man looked like – the woman said, “there was a shadow over his features, but the man had a low voice which was a little raspy “– Parker had recorded his voice on my phone greeting – I played it for her and she said, “Yes, that was the voice”. Thank you Jesus and Parker, I had my second miracle!!! I have now recorded 15 additional miracles. My nephew, who had entered into a course of study to become a priest and my new best friend, the retired miracle nun, said, taking into account the voracious strength of Parker’s communications with me, it looks like Parker is not going to be going anywhere any time soon. Parker has mitigated my mourning. It’s been impossible for me to enter into the land of sorrow while experiencing the overwhelming joy of Parker’s continued presence, guidance and interest in taking care of me. I would like to request that we all talk to Parker using the “present tense”, because, he obviously, wants it that way.

Dudley Parker Diamond

February 22, 1943 - September 13, 2021