Parker, Derek, 47, businessman and famed Key West athlete, died Sunday, October 14, 2007, at his home in Valrico, Fla. Born September 8, 1960, in Key West to parents Vonsel and Josephine Parker, he was known on baseball fields and in board rooms for his even-tempered demeanor, dry wit and accounting acumen. Parker enjoyed many business interests in Key West, including a stint as co-owner of the renowned Hukilau Restaurant. In recent years, he was faithful follower of his oldest son's burgeoning baseball career. Even by Key West standards, Parker's athletic ability was legendary. A left-handed power hitter, in 1975 he was named most valuable player in the Florida Junior Major League, helping Key West to one of its many state championships. He started three years as first baseman at Key West High School and, as a senior in 1978, batted more than 400, leading the team in RBIs and home runs to earn a scholarship to Florida State University. In 1979, Parker suited up as freshman during Dick Howser's one and only season as head coach of the Seminoles. Immediately after earning degrees in accounting and finance in 1982, he returned to his native Key West and began a career as a certified public accountant. At age 24, Parker teamed up with a fellow FSU alumnus and opened the accounting firm of Oropeza & Parker. In 1996, Parker sold his interest in Oropeza & Parker and moved to the Tampa area. A year later, he was tapped as chief financial officer for nursing operator Senior Care Group Inc. and helped grow the company portfolio to seven properties worth more than $60 million. In 2001, Parker teamed up with lifelong friends to launch the residential development company Conex Companies, parent of KeysCarribbean, serving as chief executive officer and chief financial officer. The Stock Island community of Coral Hammock spawned numerous developments in the Keys and other locations in Florida, including Angler's Club in Boca Grande. A fifth generation Conch, Parker's roots reach all the way to the 1800s, when great-grandfather, Augustus Arnold, reigned over one of the island's largest cigar factories. Later, Arnold's granddaughter, the late Josephine Arnold Parker, served more than 30 years in the highest levels of Key West government, most of those years as city clerk. Parker is survived by his wife, Kim, and sons, Clayton and Tyler, of Valrico, Fla.; a daughter, Nikki Grace Brown of Las Vegas, Nev.; father Vonsel Parker of Key West; and one brother, John Parker of Key West.