William Dennis Parsons

William “Bill” Dennis Parsons, age 79, passed away peacefully in the comfort of home on May 30, 2019. He was born on August 18, 1939 in Palo Alto, California to William Henry Parsons and Margaret Dennis Parsons. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Joanne Miller Parsons, his daughter, Elizabeth Romo, her husband Rob and their daughter Caroline of Dallas and his other grandchildren Amberley Romo and Will Romo and his wife Haley, all of of Austin, Texas. Bill was preceded in death by his dear son, Matthew Dennis Parsons.

Bill spent his high school years and graduated from Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana in 1956. He always felt his experience at Culver changed the trajectory of his life for the better and set him up for the success he later achieved. Following Culver, Bill earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California in 1960, followed by obtaining his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1962.

Following his return from Harvard, the early years of Bill’s career were spent at Hewlett Packard and then Bemiss-Jason, both in Palo Alto California. After departing from Bemiss-Jason, he and a partner, who both had a passion for woodworking, opened a furniture business called The Cube, in Los Altos, California where they manufactured modular furniture.

In 1972, Bill and his family moved to Dallas for his final career change. At that time, he partnered with his brother-in-law, Chuck Wilson joining Chuck at The Cambridge Companies, a residential and commercial real estate company. Bill, quite successfully, established and led the residential development side of the business for more than 15 years before launching his own development businesses, Pebble Properties and Spyglass Hill Investments, which he held for more than 25 years. Bill developed tens of thousands of lots in numerous communities throughout DFW over his distinguished career.

Outside of his work life, Bill had a true passion for the game of golf. He took up the sport as a teenager, playing as much as time would allow over the years. He was quite the competitor and won many club championships. The real benefit of his passion though, came through the long-term friendships he developed on the course and in the locker room. In the early years, Bill and Joanne belonged to the Los Altos Country Club in Los Altos, California which is where he met Joanne after playing golf and developing a relationship with her father, Joe Miller. After moving to Dallas, Bill and Joanne became early members of Bent Tree Country Club, and later Bill joined Preston Trail Golf Club. Over the years, Bill and Joanne were also members of The Vintage Club and El Dorado Country Club, both located in Indian Wells, California, a city they both adored and had many friends.

Most importantly though, Bill was a humble, private man with a quick wit, endless curiosity and a huge heart. He loved deeply, was an exceptionally loyal husband and father and was so proud of his family. We all miss him dearly already!

A celebration of life gathering will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2019 at Northwood Country Club located at 6524 Alpha Road in Dallas from 4-6pm. Bill’s father was a California Pioneer and so their family roots run deep in California. As a result, his remains will be laid to rest at Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto, California in a private family service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in Bill’s memory to My Possibilities, a continuing education program for adults with cognitive disabilities attended by his granddaughter Caroline. My Possibilities is located at 3601 Mapleshade Lane in Plano, TX 75024.