Celebration of Life for Kenneth Charles Parsons Jr. will be held at 11:00am, January 28th, 2023 at Kingwood Funeral Home. Interment will be held at 1:45pm, January 27th,2023 at Houston National Cemetery.
We are heartbroken to announce that Kenneth Charles Parsons passed away on November 28th, 2022, after a brief illness. He was the only son of Kenneth Charles Sr. and Ella Parsons of Redfield, South Dakota, and is survived by his sister, Harriet Swedlund.
Ken had a very active and joyful childhood, where his passion for many activities and adventures began. He especially enjoyed flying model airplanes and fishing. Dr. Ed Perry, a beloved family friend and amateur pilot, taught Ken to fly in high school. Academically, Ken excelled in school and graduated as the salutatorian of Redfield High School class of 1951. His many contributions in high school included serving as the student manager for the school's sports teams and participating in chorus, orchestra, debate, and theater. He also served as a delegate to Boy's State.
While attending South Dakota School of Mines (class of 1955), he served in the ROTC. He received a degree in Mechanical Engineering. We remember climbing M hill at one of his reunions. Ken was a proud and active alumnus.
Upon graduation, he served in the Army Reserve. From 1955-57 he was stationed at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia as a 2nd lieutenant and received his Engineer Officer Basic Training. In 1958-60, he moved to Ft. Rucker, Alabama, where he went to Aviation School, learned to fly fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, and was promoted to 1st lieutenant. In 60-61, he was ordered to active duty and stationed in Tehran, Iran, where he flew helicopters and mapped the terrain. His time abroad proved exceptionally impactful, and he fondly spoke of his time there.
After the service, he worked for Texas Instruments and General Electric in Texas. During this period, he was fortunate to meet Sarah Nellis (née Wood) on a blind date. They had a remarkable courtship in which he wooed Sarah and her four young children. The family was complete when they married on December 15th, 1967, in Tyler, Texas. The family moved to Richardson, Texas, so Ken and Sarah could continue their educations in graduate school. In 1969, the family migrated to Memphis, and he started working for the US postal service. That led to moves to St. Louis, Missouri, and Washington, DC, as Ken moved up the ladder. He had a remarkable 26 years with the postal service.
Ken and Sarah retired to Corpus Christi, Texas. Ken stayed engaged with fishing, sailing, photography, woodworking, and gardening. Ken enjoyed being busy and approached every endeavor with a keen curiosity and an engineer's mind for detail and exactness. Ken supported the performing arts, and they spent many years enjoying opera, symphony, and ballet.
Travel was a huge part of their retirement years. They loved to cruise and have circumvented the world many times over. Ken documented their love of travel with many video logs he would craft after each journey, often sharing them with fellow travelers. Utilizing his prodigious woodworking and artistic skills, he would create gorgeous frames to showcase their treasures. These passions were essential to him and integral to his roles as a man, husband, father, engineer, artist, and prolific pizza chef. Although a modest man in most respects, he followed his many pursuits with enthusiasm and excellence.
We appreciate and love everything he showed and taught us. Whether assisting on a science project, a woodworking project or teaching us to drive, Dad was always attentive and available as a sounding board. We will miss you, Dad, and you will be forever in our hearts. Thank you for your love and devotion to Mom and all of us. You were a truly great man.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sarah Parsons; daughters, Laura Hatfield (Rette), Karen McClurg (Brad), and Barbara Townsend; son Chuck Nellis (Kitty); eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Instead of flowers, the family requests donations to South Dakota School of Mines. Please send donations to the following: cara.sdsmt.edu/donate. By selecting "Other" in the "Give to" area, you can type in memory of Kenneth Parsons.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kingwoodfuneralhome.com for the Parsons family.
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