CAROL JOYCE (BOWMAN) PARSONS, 85, of N. Olmsted, OH, died the afternoon of Friday, December 10th. She was born to the late Opal Bowman in Lincoln County, WV, on May 15th, 1936. Carol graduated from Duval High School (Griffithsville) in the spring of 1954; that summer, she married Fint Parsons, to whom she remained happily wed until his death in 2013. Carol moved with Fint to Cleveland, OH, in 1960, where she remained for the most part until her 2020 move to DeWolfe Place in Marion, OH.
Though Carol spent fifteen years as a preschool teacher at Gerber Preschool in Brookpark, OH, her primary occupation was that of homemaker. She raised two daughters—Cynthia and Molly—in their homes in Cleveland, and later, Miamisburg, OH. Carol and Fint eventually moved to the Cleveland suburb of North Olmsted—their home for more than three decades. Soon after, they discovered they joy of spoiling four grandchildren and, eventually, ten great-grandchildren.
Carol enjoyed traveling, trips to the beach, and watching her grandkids play baseball; in time, she developed into an avid gardener and something of a Christmas hobbyist. Holiday trips to Grandma’s meant lots of food, lots of giving, and a house full of laughter.
Carol remained for most of her days a world-class worrier; she kept tabs on all those she loved and was ready with advice in the event something went wrong. This love and worry were applied most profoundly to Fint, to whom she remained devoted always. They traveled to weddings and graduations together, cuddled newborns together, suffered through Cleveland sports heartbreak together. Fint was the object of Carol’s great and enduring affection, and their love proved a rock upon which a big and beautiful family was built. The memory of their union is cherished by those who knew them.
Carol was preceded in death by her mother, Opal Bowman, and her beloved husband, Fint Parsons; her sister, Beverly Ryan, and her brother, Charles Bowman. She is survived by her two daughters, Cindy (Tris) Cooper, and Molly Neider; her four grandchildren, Adam (Kate) Turner, Brandon (Rebecca) Turner, Cole (Sarah) Ackerman, and Jill Hutchinson; and her 10 great-grandchildren: Henry, Jamie, Georgiana, and Beatrice Turner; Sadie and Dash Turner; Samuel and Odessa Hutchinson; Lucy and Alexander Ackerman; and, finally, her sisters, JoAnn Loftis and Lillie Bowman.
Funeral service will be 1:00 p.m., Saturday, December 18, 2021, at Curry Funeral Home, Alum Creek, with Pastor Daniel Dent officiating. Burial will follow at Lively Cemetery, Sod. The family will receive friends 2 hours prior to the service at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Union Mission, 503 Leon Sullivan Way, Charleston, WV 25301.