Grat X Parsons Jr.'s Obituary
Grat X (Bucky) Parsons, Jr. | December 4, 1957 – February 10, 2024
On February 10, 2024, at the age of 66, Bucky Parsons passed away after a long battle with dementia and entered heaven.
Bucky was born in Memphis, TN, as the youngest child of Mary and Grat Parsons. The family journeyed throughout the southern United States before re-settling in the greater Memphis area. As an adult, Bucky made Collierville, TN his home, where he resided with his beloved wife of 44 years, Kelly Mayhall Parsons, and raised their children Lauren, Trey, and Will.
Bucky attended the Southern Baptist Educational Center (SBEC) and later Memphis State University. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Bucky embarked on a career as an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Administration at the Memphis Center, where he dedicated 36 years of service before retiring in 2017.
Throughout his life, Bucky volunteered his time, talents, and expertise to mentoring Collierville Youth in sports starting in 1993. He held many leadership positions, such as the Collierville Youth Athletic Association (CYAA) president, and ensured that every Collierville child received the experience and fulfillment of the sport they played.
Bucky was preceded in death by his parents, Mary (née Brown) and Grat Parsons, and his older sister Beth Maloan of Martin, TN. He is survived by his sisters, Anna Laughlin of High Point, NC and Deborah Waldrup of Collierville, TN, his wife, Kelly, his children, Lauren (Sara) of Evanston, IL, Trey (Amanda) of Mandeville, LA, and Will (Megan) of Memphis, TN. He has 7 grandchildren, who loving referred to him as “Pop Pop”: Aemon and Remy Corcoran; Savannah, Whitney, and Ella Parsons; and Jasper and Charlie Parsons.
Cremation will take place with his final resting place at Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.
Visitation will be held on February 16th, 2024, starting at 3:00 pm, followed by a memorial service at 4:30 pm at St. Patrick Presbyterian Church located at 710 West White Road, Collierville, TN 38017
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children Research Hospital www.stjude.org.
In keeping with Bucky’s love for the sports and the Memphis Tigers, please honor him by wearing Memphis Tiger Blue.
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