On December 23rd, Mae Elizabeth Parsons of Springfield/Ozark was welcomed into heaven. She was born March 2, 1915 in Crane, Missouri to Loren and Grace (Smythe) Gatton, and was the third of seven children. She married Leon Parsons on March 28, 1936. He preceded her in death on November 26, 1960. Her brother Harlan Gatton and sisters Lorene Chastain and Ruth Henson also preceded her in death. She is survived by her brother Allen Gatton of Kansas City, Kansas, and sisters Nadine (Dale) Kemper of Springfield and Blanche Clevenger of Billings, Missouri. She is also survived by her daughters Gloria (Forrest) Coleman of Loda, Illinois and Karen Parsons of Springfield, four grandchildren: Gary (Meena) Coleman of Gloucester, Virginia, Janet (Daniel) Weber of Champaign, IL, Sandy (Jim) McCray of Claytonville, IL and Ken Coleman of Loda, IL; 5 great-grandchildren: Amy (Jon) Harms, Michael McCray, Emily McCray, and Joshua and Marc Coleman; 2 great-great granddaughters: Dorothy and Hannah Harms; and 21 nieces and nephews.
She was a dorm supervisor at Ouachita Baptist University and Southwest Baptist University for 25 years, where she nurtured many girls. She was an avid gardener and could make any plant thrive. She loved to be with people and go places, although her favorite place to be was church. She enjoyed great music, playing the piano and singing hymns and songs of the faith. She also loved to spend time with family. Her greatest desire was that her family would know the Lord. We will always treasure her influence on our lives, through her example as well as her many prayers.
Visitation will be at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, December 27th at Greenlawn South in Springfield. The funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. at Greenlawn South, with interment following at IOOF Cemetery in Marionville. Memorial contributions may be made to Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar, First Baptist Church, Springfield, or the Baptist Home in Ozark.