Frances M. Parsons

Frances “Nancy” Parsons, 96, formerly of West Hartford and Farmington, died April 9 at Harbor Chase Assisted Living in Madison. The only child of Anna (Maloney) Marvin and Frank Marvin of West Hartford, Nancy was born July 3, 1927 in Hartford. She was a graduate of Hall High School and Wellesley College, where she majored in Spanish. After college graduation she married her sweetheart from junior high school, Willis “Bill” Parsons, Jr. After his graduation from Yale Law School, they returned from New Haven to West Hartford. Bill practiced law in Hartford for over forty years until his death in 1994. Once her last child reached school age, Nancy began a career of community service, beginning as a Great Books program leader, then helping young students learn to read, and later expanding into delivering food for Meals on Wheels and pushing the cheer cart at St. Francis Hospital with her long-time friends Anne Barton Twitchell and Sue Winter. Lunch afterward was always a treat, as was any lunch out with friends and family. She was also a huge crossword puzzle fan who completed the Hartford Courant puzzle most days of her adult life. In addition, she was a fifteen-year member of a “serious” book club, where she strived to keep up with the intellectual “boss lady” of the group. She loved to travel with Bill, and later, with her friends and family, across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, especially with her favorite travel company, Tauck. Her bag would be packed weeks in advance in anticipation of her next adventure. In 2003 Nancy moved to O’Meara Ridge in Farmington, where she lived in what she called her “nest” for eighteen years, meeting new neighbors and making new friends. In 2021 she moved to Harbor Chase Assisted Living in Madison to be close to her oldest daughter, Susan. In her later years, her literary tastes morphed from book club selections into thrillers and Scandinavian noir with lots of snow scenes. Her family struggled to keep her sufficiently supplied with reading materials as her reading pace continued high. She was also a connoisseur of fine chocolates and expected regular infusions for every holiday. The family would like to thank the staff of Harbor Chase, AccentCare Hospice, and other private aides, especially Emma, for their loving care in her last few months. Three children survive her: Susan Greaves (Chris) of Madison, Cynthia Travia (Bruce Johnson) of West Chester, PA, and Willis Parsons III, MD (Leslie) of Arlington Heights, IL. She also leaves nine grandchildren and 4.5 great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by a daughter, Sarah, who died as an infant. A Memorial Mass will be held May 18 at 11:00 am at Swan Funeral Home, 825 Boston Post Rd. in Madison. Burial at Fairview Cemetery in West Hartford will be private. Donations in Nancy's memory may be made to Scranton Library, Madison, or to your local library or literacy advocacy program to celebrate her life-long passion for reading.