Jerry Lee Parsons

Alas, Jerry Lee Parsons will be headed home to North Wilkesboro, North Carolina to rest in eternal peace. Born to Erie and Earl Parsons on July 17, 1942, Jerry entered the world two months premature with a gritty determination to thrive. As a youth, Jerry attended West Wilkes High with his brother, Robert (Bobby) Parsons, and he forged lifelong friendships with Sonny Vannoy and Thomas Ray Minton. Until his passing, Jerry regularly communicated with his brother and circle of friends, sharing stories of mischief and adventure from their youth. By all accounts, Wilkesboro was a quieter place after he graduated from high school with speeding violations in Chevrolet Corvettes decreasing significantly.

Like many young men of his generation, Jerry proudly supported our country during a time of need and served in the Air Force as a laboratory technician. Upon being honorably discharged in 1966, he attended the University of Maryland, earning a degree in computer science and later graduating from George Washington University with an MBA degree. Thereafter, he worked in the government sector in Washington, D.C., as a systems analyst for many agencies unit his retirement in 2006. Time and again, Jerry also worked at his local hospital as a lab technician, being the go-to, person for complex clinical scenarios.

Married to Marie Ham in 1967, Jerry and Marie raised two children in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.: Todd Anthony Parsons and Emily Renee Lanning (David). Together, the family enjoyed camping, fishing and outings at their cabin in Winchester, VA. Jerry was also a gardner, beekeeper and avid fan of the Maryland Terrapins basketball team. Despite owning a Chevy, Jerry was a Ford man, on Sundays in support of #9 Bill Elliott.

In the years after his retirement, Jerry lived in Boulder, Colorado with his son. Situated in the Rockies, Jerry rekindled memories from his youth with the same white 1964 Corvette that once sped endlessly on the backroads of Wilkes County. Frequent weekend drives and visits to car events connected him to the car community in Colorado.

While Jerry's passing comes following a recent cancer diagnosis, it should be known by all that he did not succumb to cancer but rather an opportunistic infection that proved all too challenging. Being the scrappy competitor that he was, he departed this Earth on January 25, 2024 proudly undefeated against cancer with a life well lived.

Jerry is survived by his former wife, Marie, and their children, Todd and Emily. He is also survived by his beloved granddaughter, Dresden Mattingly, and his two step-grandchildren, Meredith and Eric Lanning. He was especially fond of Carla Godec (Todd's girlfriend) and her children, Lydia and Charlie. Surviving members all residing in North Carolina include his brother and sister, Robert (Bobby) Parsons (Wanda) and Lucky Parsons Jarvis, and his nieces and nephews, Jennifer, Kristy, Dennis, Thomas, Angie and Sabrina. Close friends Dolores Prevatte and Deborah Galbreath also survive.

A Celebration of Life and burial ceremony will occur in the coming months in his hometown of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.