Jack Parsons of South Charleston, departed this earth on Resurrection Day, March 31, 2024 to be with Jesus his Savior and his loving wife of almost seventy years, Laura Parsons. He was surrounded by his loving family.

Jack was a son of the late Sankey and Reverend Dorothy Parsons. He was born on November 19, 1936.

In addition to his parents, Jack was preceded in death by his sister, Patty Mozingo, and  brothers Sankey Parsons, Jimmy Parsons, and Gary Parsons.

After graduating from South Charleston High School in 1954, he met the love of his life, Laura Lawrence, at Ruth Church and they married the following fall. Upon completing high school, he embarked on his journey as a dedicated breadwinner for his family by joining Mack's Maytag. Commencing with a humble wage of 25 cents per hour, he tirelessly devoted himself to long hours of work, as he and his spouse embarked on a new chapter in their lives, building a family. Throughout the years, he worked at various chemical plants in the Kanawha Valley. Among them were Union Carbide and FMC. However, there were several instances where he would be laid off for long periods of time and it was never certain that his job would be reinstated. During those times he got a job as a bus driver for the city of Charleston, worked at a rubber plant that made tires in Akron, Ohio, and had a paper route delivering the Charleston Gazette in the middle of the night with mom. He always instilled a very strong work ethic in us; constantly reminding us that he never called in sick one time in nearly 40 years of employment. He retired as a shift supervisor from Olin Chemical in South Charleston.

Known for his unwavering devotion, he would stop at nothing to aid his children and grandchildren. When most of us were still living at home and going to school or working, dad would scrape all of the ice off our cars on cold mornings, start them and warm them up, and then arrange them in the driveway in the order we would be leaving. He kept the oil in our cars changed, tires balanced, and inspections done without a complaint. He helped countless people build houses, do repair work, get groceries, put up fences, get hay for horses; the list is endless in all the ways dad helped his family, friends, and people in need.

Dad surrendered his life to the Lord at the Dunbar First Church of God. It was there that he served on the board of trustees and was a member of the sanctuary choir. He had a very beautiful voice, but was too shy to sing by himself. He loved his Sunday School class where he was a student of his wife and daughter and believed that it was vital to attend church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. He and mom planned trips and vacations to leave after church on Sunday and return by the following Saturday because they did not want to miss a minute of the blessings that church attendance and group worship brings.

His love for the outdoors was demonstrated through his hobbies of hunting and fishing. He deer hunted in several counties in WV, elk hunted several times in Colorado, and fished in many states.  The true reason for this love was sharing and cherishing the memories with his oldest son, Kevin, and his best friend in the world, Blue.

Surviving family left to cherish his memory are his children; Melody Potter (Rob) of South Charleston, Kevin Parsons (Nancy) of Monroe, Georgia, Kelly Parsons of Saint Albans, and Lori McCormick of Tornado. Dad was the grandfather of seven grandchildren and ten, soon to be eleven, great grandchildren. He will also be sorely missed by his brothers, Thomas Parsons of Sarasota Florida, Larry Parsons of Houston, Texas; his dear sister in law, Rose Ann Burgraff; along with  a host of other friends and relatives.

A special 'thank you' to caregivers Kanisha Booker, Dawn Casto, Sara Burns, and to family members.

The service to honor Jack's life and to honor God will begin at 12:00 pm. on Saturday, April 6, 2024 at Dunbar First Church of God located at 1234 Payne Avenue, Dunbar, West Virginia 25064 with Dr. Larry McCallister and Reverend Kristie Newman officiating.

Family will welcome friends two hours prior to the service at the church.

Arrangements are in the care of Keller Funeral Home, Dunbar.
www.kellerfuneralhome.net