76 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2024 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL tats worldwide and introducing his family to diverse creatures both in the wild and domestic. He had many beloved pets during his lifetime—including dogs, macaws, monkeys, snakes, and more. His love of life and family will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. Mr. Matthews was predeceased by his parents; his stepmother, Ruth Benbow Matthews; his two stepbrothers and their wives, who were all from WinstonSalem, N.C.; his two sisters-in-law; and a nephew. His youngest brother, David Matthews of Alexandria, Va., also a retired Foreign Service officer, died two days before him. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Betty Morgan Matthews, whom he married in Munich; daughter Deborah Matthews of Miami, Fla.; daughter Pamela (and spouse David) Klinger of Madison, Al.; son Wade Matthews Jr. of Austin, Texas; grandchildren Richard and Sarah Klinger; brother Lawrence Matthews of Walnut Cove, N.C.; sister-in-law Amanda Carter of Alexandria, Va.; and niece Mary (and spouse Don) Prouse of Decatur, Texas. n Alan Parker, 82, a retired Foreign Service economic officer, of Arlington, Va., passed away on Aug. 8, 2023. Mr. Parker was born on June 20, 1941, in Albany, N.Y., to Alan and Helen (née Hicks) Parker. The family later moved to Prairie Village, Kan., where Mr. Parker attended Shawnee Mission High School. His love of language and culture were ignited following a summer in Germany as an American Field Service exchange student. He went on to study economics at Yale University, where he was also a member of the Yale Russian chorus. Singing with the chorus was a source of joy that continued throughout his life. Following graduation from Yale in 1963, Mr. Parker moved to California to study comparative economic systems at the University of California, Berkeley. After earning his M.A., he joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service officer in 1965. His first assignment was to Stockholm, where he met his wife, Ingegerd. Before his next assignment, to Moscow, the couple spent a year at the U.S. Army Russian Institute in GarmischPartenkirchen. Other overseas assignments included New Delhi, East Berlin, Bucharest, Bonn, and Tel Aviv. Mr. Parker retired in 1995, an accomplished diplomat whose work advanced U.S. economic policy objectives around the world. In retirement, he enjoyed golf, swimming, and playing tennis with Ingegerd, especially at their winter home in Sarasota, Fla., where they took pleasure in many seasons of new friendships. Mr. Parker is survived by his wife, Ingegerd; daughters Elisabeth (and spouse German) and Carolyn (and spouse Todd); and grandchildren Nicholas, Sophia, Erik, Ava, Lola, and Felix. A celebration of life was held in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 30, 2023. n Donald Barnard Simmons Jr., 81, a retired State Department Foreign Service officer, of St. Petersburg, Fla., passed away on Oct. 21, 2023. Mr. Simmons was born in Schenectady, N.Y., on May 27, 1942. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1960. After retiring from the Navy, he joined the Foreign Service in 1989. A financial management officer, he served in Abidjan, Mexico City, Yerevan, Monrovia, Washington, D.C., Paris, and Charleston, with short-term assignments to Sofia, Skopje, Amman, and Baghdad. He retired in 2007. with his family and worked in diplomatic and consular posts in eight foreign countries. He held acting ambassadorial positions in Chile and Guyana and was consul general in Ecuador. In Washington, D.C., assignments included deputy director of the U.S. mission to the Organization of American States and director of the State Department’s Office of Central American Affairs. Detailed to Stanford University in 1969, Mr. Matthews completed graduate studies in Latin American affairs. He was a professor of strategy and policy for two years at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. He spoke English, Spanish, and German and retained some oncefluent Portuguese. Mr. Matthews retired from the Foreign Service in 1990. In 1995 he helped supervise elections in Bosnia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He also traveled extensively for the department in the former Soviet Union in 1992, assisting the establishment of new U.S. embassies. He evaluated and recommended changes for professional recruitment in international organizations in Western Europe and America. In addition to teaching a graduatelevel course on U.S. post–Cold War foreign policy, he loved to frequently speak to Florida organizations about the natural environment, population, international affairs, and civil liberties. After retiring to Sarasota, Fla., he became an advocate and community activist in international affairs and continued his lifelong dedication to environmental protection and civil liberties. A lifetime avid birder and observer of nature, Mr. Matthews loved exploring new places with his family. Always fascinated by cultures, history, and current events, he traveled to 170 countries, visiting habi-
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