John O. Parker Jr. died on Wednesday, March 18, 2015, at his home in Skillman, N.J. He was 70.

Born in Boston, Mass., Mr. Parker earned his undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College in 1966. He served as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Greenfish before earning his Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University in 1972.

After starting his career at Corning Glass Works, Mr. Parker went on to serve as chief information officer of Baxter Healthcare, Squibb Corp., Sea-land Corp. and SmithKline Beecham. Upon his retirement from the pharmaceutical industry, he co-founded Care Capital LLC, a venture capital investment firm, and later joined Rho Ventures as a venture partner. Over the years, he served as a member of the board of directors of several companies, including Express Scripts, PHT Corp., Medical Present Value, Inc., and Solicore, Inc.

An avid sailor, Mr. Parker's voyages included a trans-Atlantic passage and trips to South Georgia Island and Antarctica, as well as numerous crossings from the Chesapeake Bay to Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and Canada. He held a 100-Ton Master's License from the U.S. Coast Guard. Not limited to the water, Mr. Parker was also a Federal Aviation Administration-licensed aviator with private, instrument, high performance and seaplane ratings.

While his passions for his career and his travels were great, nothing paralleled Mr. Parker's love for his wife of 43 years, Beverly, and their family. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Todd, and his daughter, Hilary; his grandsons, Andrew and Kevin; his brother, Jim; his son's fiancée, Vanessa Alegria; and many in-laws, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life ceremony will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, at Prospect House on the Princeton University campus.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society in memory of John O. Parker Jr.