Nancy Parsons

Nancy Louise Parsons "The Hugger", age 77, of Shepherd, Michigan, died on Friday, December 24, 2021, due to complications related to Covid.

A Memorial Service will be held at the First United Methodist Church, St. Louis at 11 A.M. on Friday, January 7, 2022, with Pastors Terri Bentley and Billie Lou Gillespie officiating.  Visitation will be held from 2-8 P.M. with family present from 2-4 & 6-8 P.M. on Thursday, January 6, 2022, at Smith Family Funeral Homes, St. Louis.

Nancy was born June 29, 1944 in Alma, Michigan, the daughter of Forrest M. and Lula B. (Powelson) Barnes.  On November 22, 1999, Nancy married Michael David Parsons in Las Vegas, NV. They recently celebrated 22 years of marriage.

Nancy was preceded in death by her father Forrest M. Barnes, mother Lula B. (Charles "Wally") Hill; 2 brothers: Charles E. Barnes and Randall F. Barnes; and sister Patricia A. Fellows.

Nancy is survived by her husband Michael D. Parsons, 5 children: Robin (Phyllis) Wilson of St. Louis, MI, Pamela (Brian) Chaffee of Mingo Junction, OH, Marty (Mandy) Wilson of San Diego, CA, Melissa (Daniel) Yereb of Powell, OH, and Michael (Jennifer) Measel of Mt. Pleasant, MI; 14 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and sister Carolyn (Daniel) Komperda.

Nancy will also be missed by the A.A. Community where she celebrated nearly 39 years of being drug and alcohol free. In 1997, this sobriety led to a dedication of helping others through the creation of Recovery Unlimited Counseling Services. As a licensed substance abuse counselor with offices in St. Louis and Mt. Pleasant, clients received outpatient treatment for alcohol, drug, and other addictions. She played an instrumental role in improving the lives of countless individuals. Clients may recall many of her "Nancy-isms" such as "Anyone can eat an elephant one bite at a time" or "If you're trying, you're lying. Either you are going to do it or not!" Her expertise as a counselor led to an appearance as on the series My Strange Addiction.

As a lifelong member of the area, she played an active role in the community. Not only did she participate in the St. Louis and Mt. Pleasant Chambers of Commerce, but with the help of her husband Mike, purchased and renovated the Pleasant Valley Church which they opened to the community for services. They also purchased the old Redstone School which she attended as a child. The school was renovated and serves as a museum to the past.

An avid antique car lover, Nancy could be found in her poodle skirt and saddle shoes at local car shows where she frequently won trophies for her prized 1957 Chevy convertible or in St. Louis driving Santa in the annual Christmas parade.

Do you collect Speedway points? If you visit any of the local Speedway gas stations, chances are good that Nancy would have told you the best way to collect points and how doing so could lead to the 31,000,000 points she collected.

She loved her pets: Lilly and four Cocker Spaniel puppies: Buster, Billy, Sable, and Rosie.

Her charismatic and outgoing personality touched the lives of everyone with whom she came in contact.

Memorials may be made to Mike Parsons for the upkeep of the Pleasant Valley Methodist Church - 5338 W. Salt River Rd. Shepherd, MI 48883. Online condolences may be made at www.smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com. The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes, St. Louis, Michigan.