Jim Parsons

James "Jim" Earl Parsons, age 88, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 13, 2025 at the Homestead of Topeka, in Topeka, Kansas surrounded by family members. Funeral services for Jim will be held at Vansant-Mills Funeral Home in Clinton, Missouri at 11:00 AM on Friday, July 18, 2025. Visitation will be at 10:00 AM prior to the service and burial will follow in Englewood Cemetery, Clinton, Missouri. Memorial contributions can be made to the Clinton Samaritan Center or the Christian Women's Fellowship of Clinton Christian Church and may be left in care of the funeral home.
Jim was born in LaDue, Missouri to Everett and Dorothy (Wyatt) Parsons on April 23, 1937. Jim grew up in LaDue where he attended grade school. Jim loved growing up in the small community with his parents and older sisters, JoAnn and Mary Ann. One of his favorite memories of these days was playing baseball in LaDue and the surrounding communities. It was a favorite activity in the community, and everyone packed their lunch and made a day of it. Jim attended Clinton High School and graduated in 1955.
In 1960, Jim married Carol Barnes of Quincy, Missouri. They were married 62 years until Carol's passing in 2022. Jim and Carol lived in Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin until they returned to their home state of Missouri to settle in Clinton. Jim and Carol shared a love of family, entertaining friends, fishing, traveling the world and most of all raising their two children, Kimberly and Michael.
Together, Jim and Carol traveled to over twenty countries and all fifty states. They traveled through Europe, Asia and South America and even crossed the Panama Canal. They loved to go on cruises all over the world. Many trips involved fishing with their children, extended family and friends. Their favorite trip was fishing at The Fisheries Resort on Rainy Lake in Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada and they made this annual trip for forty-nine years.
Jim was a devoted husband and father. He prided himself on being a provider for his family and had a very long and successful career in the power plant construction industry. He first worked for the Katy Railroad out of high school as a timekeeper, but soon took a similar position at the Montrose, Missouri Power Plant near his home in LaDue working for Combustion Engineering. Jim became a life-long member of Boilermakers Union Local 83, and his career quickly progressed. He was soon promoted to Superintendent and later oversaw the construction of the Unit 5 Power Plant in Lawrence, Kansas. Jim developed keen natural structural engineering abilities and then spent the majority of his career with Babcock & Wilcox, a division of McDermott International, as Construction Manager bidding jobs and managing the construction and maintenance of numerous power plants in the Midwest. Jim retired from B&W in 2001 and became an independent contractor bidding maintenance power plant jobs for Enerfab and others. Jim also administered welding tests to the next generation of welders and boilermakers.
Jim's wife and children were always the center of his world. Later, as grandfather of three, Jim took great joy in the role. His grandchildren Johnathon, Nicholas and Kaitlynn were the light of his life, and he entertained them endlessly.
Jim had many gifts and interests in his life. He loved woodworking and crafted many ornate clocks for family and friends. Jim was his own building contractor on his three custom family homes and did much of the work himself. He loved to golf for work and pleasure, especially in retirement at Clinton Country Club. Jim enjoyed hunting with family and friends at their deer shack near Quincy, Missouri. He loved antiquing and compiled an extensive collection of Katy Railroad and Falstaff Beer memorabilia. But fishing was his first love that he shared with family and friends.
Jim will be greatly missed by his family and those who knew him. He didn't know a stranger and loved to chat and share his life stories with anyone who would listen. Jim cared about people and wanted them to prosper and have a good life like his own. He had a bigger than life personality and was truly one of a kind.
Jim is survived by his daughter Kimberly and her husband Paul Slater, son Michael Parsons, grandchildren Johnathon Slater, Nicholas Slater and Kaitlynn Parsons, sister JoAnn Brown, brother-in-law Jim and wife Judy Barnes, brother-in-law John Frankenfield and many nieces and nephews.
Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Carol, parents Everett and Dorothy (Wyatt) Parsons, sister Mary Ann Mellen, in-laws James and Lucille (Martin) Barnes, sisters-in-law Shirley Oviatt, Sharon Minich, Mary Temple and Patty Frankenfield, brothers-in-law Don Minich, Joe Brown and Wyatt Mellen, nieces Karen (Hughes) Yoss and Dayann Brown, nephews Donnie Hughes, Tom Glass, Gary Minich and great nephew Joshua Wood.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home in Clinton, Missouri.
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