Lois Fern Parsons

Lois Fern Parsons, age 98, passed away October 28, 2018 at Denver Hospice. She was born Lois Fern Wallin in Chicago, Illinois on March 30, 1920 in her parents apartment above her grandfather's speakeasy during prohibition. Lois is survived by her three children, Steve (Thelma) of Danville, Indiana, Audrey Parsons Burkholder (William) of Aurora, and Kirk (Cathy) of Thornton, sister-in-law Laverne Moline, six grandchildren – Aaron Parsons, Alaina Desnoyers (Derick), Becky Parsons McLeary (Alan), Taylor Parsons (Adam Bower), Jordan Parsons (Jeremy Aragon), and Ashlyn Von Tilius, and five great-grandchildren, Michael, Nicole, Teaghan, Vance, and Brooks, niece and nephews Kim, Kelly, Carl, and Cathy, and their children. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Edward Louis, and brother William Carl Wallin.

Lois was a woman ahead of her time, attending secretarial school after high school and working for Butler Brothers. She first married Edward Louis Parsons on July 15, 1942 in Norfolk, Virginia before he was shipped out to the South Pacific, then again with family and friends on January 1, 1944. She followed him around the country to various seaside port towns where he was stationed in the United States Navy. Lois worked at the Chicago Opera House where she typed up orders in an organization whose mission was kept secret. It wasn't until after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima that her boss informed her that she was involved in the Manhattan Project developing that atomic bomb that changed the course of history.

While her children were growing, Lois was a homemaker who helped make every family gathering a holiday, working non-stop in the kitchen never letting anybody go hungry and serving up her specialties: Swedish meatballs, scalloped potatoes and pork chops, coffee cake, pineapple upside-down and made-from-scratch angel food cakes. She and Ed built their home at 215 East Wakeman in Wheaton, Illinois where they raised their children. They enjoyed several years in retirement in Rogers, Arkansas at Beaver Lake from 1982-1996 near sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Laverne and Art Moline, where memories of a lifetime were made for all her family who visited. She never got her fantasy wish of singing back-up for the Glenn Miller Band – her and Ed's favorite – but she was renowned and loved for her huge heart, her gifts of complete acceptance and genuine listening. She was a quilter and member of the ""Busy Bees"" sewing club, and made many quilts, Christmas tree skirts, stockings, as well as other seamstress creations. Many were the recipients of her generosity of spirit, homemade meals, and kindness. Everyone she met was touched by her warmth, her smile, and her genuine acceptance and love for all. She made lifetime friends. She never said an unkind comment about anyone, and the echoes of her incomparable laugh will remain with all who loved her. Until the end, she always put others first, never ever complained, ""I'm fine,"" was her trademark, even to the end when she asked Audrey if she was ok caring for her. Since 1997, daughter Audrey cared for both Ed and Lois in her home until Lois was widowed in 2000. Special mention should be made of the unparalleled devotion and loving selflessness of Audrey and husband Bill Burkholder, who cared for her in their home until the morning of the day she passed. This matriarch, who was an angel-on-earth to too many to count, is now a true angel on our shoulders, helping us see the best in others and giving of ourselves without judgement. As Helen Keller said, ""What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.""

In honor of Lois, a Memorial Service will be held Sunday November 11, 2018 at 1:30pm at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home (11150 East Dartmouth Ave. Aurora, CO 80014). Following the Memorial Service, the Parsons family would like to invite all guest to join them for a Reception at the HeartLight Center.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lois' memory to the Alzheimer's Association of Colorado, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers of Aurora, or the Denver Hospice.

Please give your condolences to the Parsons family.

Memorial Service: November 11, 2018 1:30 pm

Horan & McConaty - SE Denver/Aurora
11150 E. Dartmouth Ave.
Aurora, CO 80014

Reception: November 11, 2018 2:30 pm

HeartLight
11150 E. Dartmouth Ave.
Aurora, CO 80014