Francis John Parsons

2014 - 2014

Francis John Parsons passed away Sunday night, November 16, at Sitka Community Hospital from complications of old age. He was 92.

Frank was born to Ernest Parsons and Beatrice Rogers Parsons in Seattle, Washington on June 5, 1922. He and his sister, Isabel Claire (Parsons) McLean, who passed away in 2011, were raised in Seattle until 1935, when the family moved to Juneau. Ernie started an electrical contracting business and later served a term as mayor of Juneau.

From boyhood on, Frank loved the outdoors, particularly hunting. He was a Boy Scout and a Sea Scout. He spent his high school summers working on cannery tenders and at the Hawk Inlet cannery, where he began to acquire his knowledge of marine engines. He was president of his senior class at Juneau Douglas High School, but joked later that the class was so small it was a matter of taking your turn. He graduated in 1940 and entered the University of Alaska in Fairbanks to major in mechanical engineering.

Frank's college career turned out to be brief. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the Merchant Marine as an assistant engineer. He at first sailed in domestic waters, towing barges between Seattle and the Aleutians, and later took to deep water, sailing on freighters and tankers in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and South Pacific. He was awarded service ribbons for those war zones, plus the Combat Bar, and by the war's end had obtained an unlimited license as Chief Engineer, imprinted "Diesel or Steam, Any Horsepower, Any Ocean." At the time, he was one of the youngest-ever holders of such a license.

Frank met the love of his life, Ann Roberts, at a post-war New Year's open house at the Governor's Mansion in Juneau. They were married at Holy Trinity Church in Juneau in 1947, and raised two children, Margaret Ann (Marg) and John Keith. Frank continued to go to sea for the first few years of family life, but took a "beach" job in 1956, as a civilian employee of the US Coast Guard. The position was meant for a college graduate, but Frank was given a chance based on his great experience with marine mechanics, and he thrived. When he retired in 1986, he was manager over all electrical and mechanical engineering matters for the Coast Guard's lighthouses, Loran stations, and other shore facilities throughout the state. In 1977 he was named Federal Employee of the Year for Juneau.

Frank became a private pilot in 1949, and pursued aviation with a passion for almost fifty years and over 10,000 flight hours, owning a succession of light planes, some of them rebuilt in the family garage. He and Ann made several trips to and around the Lower 48 together, and he was known locally as an expert at off-field landings who knew the hidden places around Juneau and Yakutat where a skilled pilot could "set her down" for some moose hunting or berry picking. His children have many fond memories of flying to Gustavus for dinner, or to Skagway for a hike, on the long Southeast Alaska summer evenings.

After retiring from the Coast Guard in 1986, he became a commercial pilot and began to fly passengers and freight for Channel Flying and Taku River Lodge. When health issues put an end to his flying career, Frank transitioned to motorcycles and made yearly trips, exploring and camping throughout the United States. He was a man who liked to get going! It was about the journey, not the destination.

In 2003 Frank and Ann moved to Sitka to be closer to their daughter. He could be seen riding his bicycle to town for his coffee and pie every morning, year-round. When he could no longer ride the bike he walked to town, cheerfully greeting friends along the way. In early 2014 Frank moved into the Sitka Pioneer Home.

Frank was a kind man and generous with his friendship, and he will be missed by many. He is survived by his wife Ann of Sitka; daughter Marg of Sitka; son John and daughter-in-law Beth of Eugene, Oregon; granddaughters Elizabeth Ann Figueroa (husband Gaston) of Portland and Zoë Beatrice Parsons of Seattle; great-granddaughter Sylvia Beatrice Figueroa of Portland; cousin Patricia Drummond-Decker of Pismo Beach, California; nephew Neil McLean of Christmas Valley, Oregon; and nieces Heather Sweeney of Camas, Washington and Sandy McLean of Salina, Kansas.

A memorial service will be held at St. Peters's-by-the Sea in Sitka on Friday, November 21 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of sending flowers, well-wishers are invited to send their condolences to Ann at P.O. Box 6263, Sitka, 99835.