Donald Bruce Parsons

Donald Bruce Parsons, age 95, was born in Chicago, IL on December 26, 1927 and died on September 5, 2023. He was the eldest of four brothers born to Milton Bruce and Helen Morrison Parsons. Don is survived by his youngest brother, Bruce (wife Pat) Parsons.

Don enlisted in the Army and served as a Parachutist in the 11th Airborne Division from June 1946 to October 1947. He was assigned to Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido, in the Military Police, during the occupation of Japan following WWII. Don was a member of the Army National Guard from October 1949-May 1953.

Don attended college at CU where he met, and eventually married, Barbara Lane. They raised three daughters, Linda, Debra, and Carol. Donald and Barbara eventually divorced and Don is survived by all four.

Donald loved the outdoors and enjoyed fishing and hunting small game as a child. He continued to fish and hunt pheasants and ducks throughout his adult life. He had a passion for sailing and could be found most weekends on a lake somewhere, in a sunfish, or his Venture 17 or 22 sailboats, some of which he raced in regattas. Family vacations were centered around camping, hunting, fishing, and sailing. Don also loved riding his bicycle, until age 93.

Donald worked in Real Estate sales and then management of small rental units. He took pride in landscaping and maintaining all his properties by himself. He was active in civic clubs including serving as president of the Jaycees and in Kiwanis Club. Don was a voracious reader, mainly of history and non-fiction books. He was also a writer and wrote 56 stories of his life and learnings, some of which were published.

Don referred to his three daughters as the crown jewels of his life. He wanted his epitaph to read, “I live and die for those I love, Linda, Deb, Carol, and Barb.”