San Luis Obispo Tribune -- A man who was born in the Central Valley and grew up in San Luis Obispo was killed in Iraq during his second tour of duty in the war-torn nation.

Brandon A. Parr, who most recently lived in Utah, was a member of a military police company whose duties included training Iraqi police to take control of a central Baghdad neighborhood.

The 25-year-old husband and father was killed in the Iraqi capital along with two other soldiers Saturday in a roadside bomb attack.

Parr’s family members were huddled Monday in their West Valley City, Utah, home. Army officials said the family, who requested privacy, was focused on reliving their fondest memories of Parr.

In a statement, Parr’s wife, Shannah, said her husband "loved life and family. ...

"He was very funny, he made everyone feel good," she said. "He was the greatest husband and father."

He met his wife at a Salt Lake City dance club not long after moving to Utah with his mother and stepfather. The couple married in 2001.

He joined the Army in 2003, about the same time Shannah gave birth to a son, Nicholas.

"He felt it was something he had to do," Shannah Parr said.

His first tour, also in Baghdad, stretched between the summers of 2004 and 2005.

Funeral plans for Parr, who was posthumously promoted to sergeant, have not been finalized.