Franklin Dee Parsons

Born July 20, 1934, in Pekin to Phillip D. and Lois C. (Heim) Parsons, he married Mary Chandler on April 29, 1962, in Bradford, Illinois. She survives.

Also surviving are their children, Julie (Michael) Lincoln of Peoria Heights and Michael (Denise) Parsons of Bellevue; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and his brother, Kenneth Parsons of Pekin.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Nora Taylor.

Sonny was a veteran of the United States Army, drafted in 1957 until 1959.

As a young man he and his brother owned and operated Mobile gas station on Derby Street. He also worked at Roy Shallenberger’s Lumber Yard. For 19 years Sonny was a Salvage Radial Arm Drill Operator at Caterpillar Inc., retiring in 1985.

Sonny enjoyed camping, both with Caterpillar Campers and with his family. They went to Kentuckiana for 30 years where he enjoyed fishing. He also played euchre at the VFW and Miller Center in Pekin.

His funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin.Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Burial will follow the service at Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.

Memorial contributions can be made to American Epilepsy Society at https://aesnet.org/give/give or the Parkinson’s Foundation at https://www.parkinson.org/

To express condolences online, visit Preston-Hanley.com