Olive Ann Parsons

Olive lived a life of loving, faithful service to God, her family, and others.

Education was a passion of hers. Through her working years, she taught elementary school, preschool and kindergarten. She also helped lead cub scouts and girl scouts. Olive was a long-time member of P.E.O. International sisterhood, an organization that supports women in educational pursuits.

Olive supported Aldersgate United Methodist Church in many ways, serving as church secretary, church librarian, and as a Sunday School teacher with both adults and children. She also shared her gift of music by leading children’s choir in a previous church.

Her carefully-tended gardens and creative handicrafts added beauty to our lives. One favorite pursuit of hers was quilting. Olive helped inspire and teach others to quilt. She and her quilting friends have blessed hundreds of people with cozy, beautiful quilts donated through various local organizations, disaster relief efforts and to many individuals who needed comfort, prayer and encouragement.

Olive also enjoyed music, bird-watching, and traveling extensively throughout the United States and Canada. She strived to have a new adventure each year such as riding in a hot air balloon and parasailing!

We were blessed to have Olive in our lives for 86 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Steven Allen and Marion Elizabeth (Cornwell) Allen.

She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Bruce L. Parsons, Jr.; her children, Bruce A. Parsons (Rhonda), Beth Osgood (Mark), Eric Parsons, and Kathryn Sumrall (Steve); her grandchildren, Marie Parsons, Anna Parsons, Lauren Parsons, Nathan Osgood (Brittany), Masha Osgood, Slava Osgood, Zoe Hufstedler (Gatlin), Allie Parsons, Eric Sumrall, and Connor Sumrall; and her great-grandchildren, Isabel Osgood, David Osgood, Emma Sofia Osgood, Stephen Osgood, Rowan Osgood, Eowyn Osgood, Edmund Osgood, and Sutton Hufstedler.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to PEO Scholar Awards to support of educational scholarships for women.

P.E.O. Executive Treasurer’s Dept.

Scholar Awards

3700 Grand Ave.

Des Moines, IA 50312

Online: https://donations.peointernational.org/peo-donation-psa