Jane Lesia Parsons

Jane was born on February 23, 1944 in Panama City, Florida, where her dad was stationed with the Coast Guard. The proud parents were David and Jeanette Vinson. Brother Gene was only one year old at the time and for the next couple of years most people when seeing them thought they were twins. She is survived by her husband of 53 years Sonny and her brother Dr. Gene Vinson and his wife Margaret, nephew David Vinson, daughter Amy Renee Peeples, her husband Joseph and grandchildren, Treston, Tory, Tyler, Amanda, Alison Rae, Drew and great granddaughter Haidyn Jade Gordon.

Jane grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and was always a happy smiling young lady who enjoyed being with people. As a youngster she was active in her church where she was in charge of the youth activities as a teen and loved working in the nursery with the new borns. Jane has always loved people and wanted to help them.

Her family was active with community youth activities and Jane was chosen by her brother’s little league team as team sweet heart.

In high school she was chosen by her class as a favorite in the annual and was president of the Future Nurses Club and her homeroom.

While a senior in high school she was chosen from 48 young ladies from the state of Mississippi as Miss Tammy Teenager and represented the state in New Orleans at the premier showing of Tammy Tell Me True!, where the stars of the movie were present. Young ladies representing all of the states were in attendance.

In 1963 at the age of 19 Jane was chosen from nearly 50 young ladies from Mississippi to be Miss Mississippi in the Miss International Beauty Contest in Long Beach, California. She was selected by Johnny Carson of TV fame and a committee. Representatives from the countries of the world were there for the Miss International Beauty Contest and she roomed with Miss Holland. She was chosen as a finalist in the Miss USA contest that year.

In 1964 after dating for five years she married the love of her life Sonny Parsons. They started dating when she was a sophomore and he was a junior at Provine High School in Jackson, Mississippi. When they first started dating she passed Sonny a note with the letters M.T.Y.L.T.T. written on it. Those letters stood for More Than Yesterday Less Than Tomorrow. She had those letters engraved in Sonny’s wedding ring in memory of the love they shared. In December they would have been married 53 years.

When Sonny graduated from Mississippi State University in 1965 Jane was presented a PHT diploma by the college. PHT stood for Putting Hubby Through. Jane became a licensed midwife in MS and assisted in scores of deliveries.

They were blessed with two children Christopher Todd and Amy Renee. They have six grand children Treston Parsons, Tory Parsons, Tyler Parsons, Amanda Parsons, Ali Rae Parsons, Drew Meadville and one great grand child Haidyn Jade Gordon.

In their wedding ceremony Jane had a song played from the book of Ruth with the words, “where ever thou goest I will go!” Jane didn’t realize how true this would be as she and Sonny have been blessed in being able to travel the world as Sonny had the opportunity for speaking engagements from New Zealand and Australia to Jerusalem, London, Amman, Jordan to Hawaii and Egypt, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, Ireland, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Alaska, etc. often traveling for weeks by train and ship. Once they were invited to a reception with Queen Noor in Amman.

For over 45 years Jane served beside Sonny in church ministry. While in Big Sandy she also served at one time as head of the Meals On Wheels program. She was always faithfully beside her husband even as he served as Mayor on two separate occasions.

Her smiling cheery self will be missed and once asked what did she want out of life and she replied, “To be loved by my children…”

God speed….. Jane Parsons! You will be missed…….