Walter Carroll Parsons

He was preceded by his wife, Doris Marie Parsons (Haas), His parents, Grandville and Harriett Parsons, his siblings Grandville Parsons and Harriet Fletcher. He is survived by his 3 sons, Richard Parsons (Karen) of Bolivia, NC, David Parsons of Lexington Park, MD and Walter G. Parsons (Linda) of Cave Springs, Arkansas. He was the proud grandfather of Kerry Smith (Michael), Kevin Parsons (Natasha), Lauren Schiller (Kyle) and Alyson Lyles (Taylor). He had 4 Great Grandchildren, William, son of Kerry and Michael, Seton and Samuel, sons of Lauren and Kyle, and Mabry, daughter of Alyson and Taylor. He is also survived by several nieces around the country.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Walter worked after school in his father’s auto repair shop where he learned extensively about auto repair and mechanics. He attended Brooklyn Technical High school and was a lifeguard at the beaches in Brooklyn.

When WWII broke out, he enlisted early at 17. He was assigned to a PC boat, the Westerly, PC-1198 where he was a cook and manned the depth charge deployment. During one cruise, their boat was determined lost at sea, and to the surprise of many, the boat returned to Guantanamo Bay intact. After his discharge, he finished high school, and met the love of his life, Doris Haas. They were married on April 23rd, 1950.

Walter attended the Delehanty Institute where he completed courses in Radio and Television repair which would become the basis for a long career in electronic systems. He worked briefly at a number of small electronic firms on Long Island, and he and Doris moved to Shoreham, NY to raise a family. Walter secured a position as a Graphite Reactor Operator at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton NY. He Was on the reactor team for several years before building cryogenic systems for particle accelerators for the physicists at Brookhaven Lab.

After leaving Brookhaven, he went to work for Grumman Aerospace in Calverton, NY, a manufacturer of military aircraft, including the Navy's F-14 Tomcat and EA-6B Prowler. He was one of very few individuals who repaired the jamming systems used by the Prowler that are still in use today. He won several Project Sterling awards and Pride of Workmanship awards at Grumman for his ability to innovate ways to fix processes more efficiently. His abilities allowed him to be put on a special project at Princeton University where he worked on systems related to the test reactor that Princeton has on site.

After he and Doris retired, they moved to Lake Monticello Virginia, where they were Charter members of Grace and Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra and assisted in the design of the new church. They had decided to move NW Arkansas, but Doris was called home right before they were to move. Walter continued and moved into Primrose Retirement Community in Rogers, Arkansas. Walter became an Ambassador for Primrose with new residents and was the navigator on the bus trips that they took to outings and restaurants. He enjoyed taking pictures of the residents and activities and providing prints to everyone.

Walter was a lifelong Boy Scout, having served as a leader in many capacities and Neighborhood Commissioner. He was awarded the prestigious Silver Beaver Award for his dedication to Scouting. He was a lifelong Mason, having achieved the 32nd degree ranking. He was also an avid ham radio operator and enjoyed “net night”.

Walter cherished the family gatherings with his granddaughters and great grandchildren. He was so proud of all of them. He spent Fridays at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where he enjoyed the views and the American Art and spent many relaxing hours making new friends.

Walter was always thinking of others and worked hard for his family.

A Memorial Service is planned for later date.

In lieu of flowers, Walter loved and supported these organizations:

Circle of Life Hospice, Bentonville/Springdale, Arkansas

The Masonic Home of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia

Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, Richmond, Virginia

Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Springdale, Arkansas

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas