Billy Parsons

June 3, 1951 – June 2, 2023

In loving memory, we honor the life, devotion, heart and soul of Billy Ray Parsons. He passed on June 2, 2023 at the age of 71, one day before his 72nd birthday, in Santa Fe, NM.   He was born in Paintsville, Kentucky on June 3rd, 1951.

His family moved to Michigan where Bill was raised and graduated from River Rouge High School on June 12, 1969.  He worked at a pharmacy for a couple of years but during this time,  the Vietnam War was underway and his draft number was fast approaching, so he chose to voluntarily sign up with the Air Force beginning April 16, 1971.  His first tour of duty was to Chicksands Air Force Base in England,  where he met the love of his life on his very first night, Linda Smith.  Linda had a six year old daughter, Serena, who Bill took on immediately and raised as his own.

Bill and Linda married on November 30th, 1974.  Bill's next tour of duty was to Crete and the three of them packed up and spent a week driving from England to Crete the day after Christmas.  Crete opened up a whole new world of culture, travel and exciting new adventures for this new family.  He loved to swim, snorkel, and developed a passion for good food and cooking.  He introduced Serena to Girl Scouts which led to him becoming the Leader of all the Girl Scout Troops on the base.

Bill also discovered another passion….refereeing and umpiring the base sports…baseball, softball, volleyball, and basketball.  He was fierce and fair and everyone loved him!  He was then transferred to Pensacola, FL where he continued his Air Force career as an instructor and pursued the umpiring job endlessly and tirelessly in order to support his family.

After four years in Florida, they were transferred to Bavaria, Germany where Bill was stationed at Bad Aibling and worked in intelligence.  They were thrilled to be back in Europe and spent nine glorious years travelling the many neighboring countries.

He was then transferred to Colorado Springs where he retired from the Air Force on May 1, 1995.

A short time after, he was hired by E-Systems / Raytheon Systems where he had a storied career from 1996 until he retired in 2018.

Bill and Linda decided to move to Taos, NM to enjoy the slower pace of a beautiful mountain town.  They spent four years there.  They have both now returned to the DFW area.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and five sisters.  He is survived by his wife, Linda Parsons, his daughter, Serena West-Snipes, his sister, Pamela Barton, and two brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews. Also by his beloved dog, Lexi.

Funeral information

Military Honors & Internment will be held on July 11, 2023, Tuesday, at 11:15 AM at the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery.  Located at 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX 75211