In Memoriam | Jack Parber – Birth Father Of Bob Weir

Jack Parber, a retired Air Force Colonel, who’s the birth father of Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, has passed away. Parber and Weir re-connected in 1996 after Bob called Jack, and subsequently the pair spent plenty of time together as Parber attended many of his birth son’s shows and even participated in a Memorial Day Parade last May with the guitarist’s family.

Sad news from the Bob Weir family. Bob’s biological Father, Jack Parber passed away Friday. He was 89. Bob and Jack…

Posted by Jay Blakesberg Photography on Sunday, April 12, 2015

Joel Selvin of SFGate penned an article in 2004 detailing the circumstances that led to Bob Weir’s 1996 reunion with Jack Parber. After Weir’s birth mother contacted him in the ’80s, Bobby enlisted a private detective to help track down his birth father. When the guitarist found out his father was an Air Force colonel running Hamilton Air Force Base in Marin County he decided not to dig any further. However, Weir’s wife Natascha eventually convinced him to call Parber.

Weir discussed his relationship with Parber and tells the intriguing story about how one of Parber’s sons, who died, owned an original Fender Telecaster which Bobby found and has used over the years in a very personal essay.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jack Parber’s friends and family.