Obituary of Benjamin Mason Parker

Passed away very unexpectedly on November 3, 2024.  He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  to Tim Parker and Jennifer Buxton Parker.  Ben is predeceased by his grandmother Sheryl Buxton, great-grandfather and namesake Ben Satterfield and aunt Michelle Thorton.  He is survived by his parents and brothers, Nickolas and William; great-grandparents Nancy Hearod, Darlene Satterfield, and grandparents Tim Parker (Eileen), Connie Treadway (Butch), James Buxton; as well as a host of aunts, uncles and cousins in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas.
In 2004, his family moved to Horseheads, New York where Ben and his brothers, played soccer, mastered video games, and constructed empires of Legos. Ben had a zest for life and never allowed his epilepsy diagnosis to dampen his dreams and goals for the future. He graduated with honors from Horseheads High School in 2019.  After graduating, he decided to return to Oklahoma to attend the alma mater of his mother and other family members, Oklahoma State University, to become a veterinarian.  
While living in Oklahoma, he met new friends, bonded with family, and created special memories with everyone’s life he touched. He embraced diversity and avoided judgement of others. Extending a helping hand as well as a smile and making frequent trips to reconnect with friends and family in Oklahoma City, Colorado, and New York. One of his favorite pastimes was fishing anywhere he could find a body of water to “wet a hook.” Ben had a soft spot for furry animals and creepy creatures as evidenced by his wide array of “pets”. 
Ben earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology in 2023, but in the process was bitten by the bug of parasites. He changed his dream of becoming a veterinarian and continued his education by studying parasites in butterflies hoping to save Monarchs from extinction. During his graduate studies, he shared his passion for science and parasite research by serving as a teaching assistant at the university.  Ultimately, he realized teaching and research were not his passion and had recently returned to New York to start a new job as a lab technician at Guthrie Hospital, also giving him the opportunity to reunite with family and friends. 
Ben’s light of compassion and love shined bright on the world but ultimately not long enough. He will be greatly missed and remembered by friends and family alike. 

Family and friends are invited to McInerny Funeral Home, 502 West Water Street, Elmira NY, on Thursday, November 14, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Ben’s Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, November 15, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., St. Mary’s Church, 155 State Street, Corning. A livestream of the Mass will be available through the All-Saints Parish Corning YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@AllSaintsParishCorning. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ben's memory can be  made to the Cure Epilepsy fund https://give.cureepilepsy.org/BenjaminParker.