Edwina E. Parsons

NEWTON - Edwina Ellis Parsons, 95, passed away peacefully May 15, 2008, at Abernethy Laurels in Newton following a period of declining health. Born Edwina Elizabeth Ellis on Jan. 13, 1913, she was the first of three daughters to John and Edwina Ellis of Stapleton, Staten Island, N.Y. Educated in the New York City public school system, Edwina graduated from Hunter College in 1935. Following a brief career in business in New York City, she married C. Sanford Parsons of Staten Island in 1936. Edwina and her husband raised their two sons in Long Island, N.Y., Hingham, Mass. and Torrington, Conn. She was active in community theater, the choir and programs of the Congregational Church and the Boy Scouts. In Torrington, Edwina served for many years with the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Auxiliary, with the Northwest Community/Technical College Foundation and other community organizations. In the years following the death of her husband, Sanford, in 1984, Edwina remained in Torrington prior to moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, to be closer to her second son and his wife. In 2001, she followed her sons to the Hickory area and lived at Abernethy Laurels in Newton for the past six years. Edwina is survived by her two sons, John Sanford (Jay) Parsons and Charles Anthony (Tony) Parsons of Hickory and their wives, Ann Wright Parsons and Clare Larson Parsons; her five grandchildren, Kristin Winokur of Tallahassee, Fla., Alison Parsons of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Lauren Kappers of Charlotte, Timothy Parsons of London, England, and C. Darren Parsons of Tallahassee, Fla.; four great-grandchildren; and also a sister-in-law, Eleanor Parsons Messner of Newton. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 25, 2008, at Abernethy Laurels. Edwina's ashes will be interred in the family plot in Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley, 3975 Robinson Road, Newton, N.C. 28658. Condolences may be sent to the Parsons family at www.drumfuneralhome.com. The Parsons family has entrusted funeral arrangements to Willis-Reynolds Funeral Home and Crematory in Newton.