Dave Parker died on June 28, 2025, in Cincinnati at 74 years old, just one month before he was set to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
He’d been living with Parkinson’s disease for years, fighting it with the same toughness he once brought to the field. When the end came, he was at home, surrounded by his family members. Parker leaves behind his wife, six children, and several grandchildren.
For fans who followed his baseball career, the stats and moments came easily to mind. But behind those big plays was something else: the quiet support of a tight-knit family. His spouse, Kellye, stayed by him through every stage—from stadium lights to hospital halls. His parents were the first to believe he had something special. And long before Kellye, there was a first marriage most people never knew much about.
Here’s a look at the people who stood beside Dave Parker—not just during the peak of his career, but through everything that followed.
Meet Dave Parker’s Wife, Kellye — The Steady Hand Through Highs and Lows
When Parker returned to Cincinnati in 1984 to sign a two-year deal with the Reds, he didn’t just come home to play—he came home to marry. On Valentine’s Day that year, he tied the knot with Kellye Crockett.
Together, the couple built a life rooted in the city they loved. They opened a Popeye’s franchise in Cincinnati, and when Dave’s playing days ended in 1992, he stepped away from the game to help Kellye run the business. Even then, he wasn’t quite done with baseball—he joined a local league for men over 35.
Later, the couple shifted their focus to something more personal. After Dave was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, they sold the restaurants and launched the Dave Parker 39 Foundation. Its mission was clear: support others living with Parkinson’s and help push forward the search for a cure.
Dave first revealed his diagnosis in 2013. He described the moment it hit him—staring into the reflection of a glass cabinet, silently vowing to himself that he wouldn’t let the disease win.
“I’m looking at this glass cabinet, and it’s got a reflection of my face,” he said. “And I just kind of made an oath to that individual that was in that glass case, which was me, that I would not give in to it.”
Through it all, Kellye remained by his side. She adjusted with him, stayed present through the hard days, and helped keep everything steady when the road got tough.
For her, strength often came from seeing others going through their own battles.
“They give you hope,” Kellye said, of others living with health struggles. “Parkinson’s is not easy either, but you go, ‘Wow, look at them.’ How can you give up? Their hope and our hope, it just keeps going.”
He Was Also Married Before Kellye
Dave was in a serious relationship with another woman named Stella Miller.
The two met in 1973, and by April 1974, Stella claimed they were married under common law. In the Pirates’ 1978 media guide, Parker was listed as married. But by 1979 and 1980, he was back to being listed as single, as the two had apparently split and were living separately.
“She’s an intelligent lady, and I had considered marrying her,” Parker said after she filed for divorce.
In that filing, Stella accused him of adultery and “cruel and barbarous treatment.” They had lived together until 1978, but things had already gone south. The legal process wrapped up in 1980, and they moved on for good.
He Had Six Children
Parker was a father to six children—three from his first relationship and three with his wife Kellye.
Most of them have stayed out of the public eye over the years, choosing to live private lives away from the spotlight. Only a few of their names are publicly known: Dave Parker II, Danielle Parker, and Dorian Parker.
From what’s available online, Danielle is currently based in Cincinnati, while Dorian lives in Miami, Florida.
Both Parents Were Athletic
The MLB legend was born on June 9, 1951, in Grenada, Mississippi. He weighed nearly 12 pounds at birth and was one of six children raised by Richard and Dannie Mae Parker.
Athletic ability ran deep in the family. “My mother had a cannon for an arm,” Dave once said. “My dad never got to play organized ball. But he’d crush that ball. And he could run like a scalded rabbit. He beat me in a footrace one day after work – in his workboots, carrying his lunch bucket.”
In 1956, the Parkers moved north to Cincinnati. His dad, Richard, found steady work at Lunkenheimer Valve Company, while his mom, Dannie Mae, took on jobs as a maid. They eventually settled on Poplar Street, where Dave’s early love for sports really took off.
He attended Courter Technical High School, where he stood out in football, basketball, and baseball.
