Obituaries

Mark Parsons

Dr. Dr. Mark Kevin Parsons, 57, a resident of Chattanooga, died on Sunday night, Sept. 15, 2013, in a local hospital following a brief but valiant battle with cancer.Mark was born in Nashville, on Nov. 5, 1955, a son of Frances Doss Parsons and the late William Allan Parsons. He was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Ooltewah. Mark was a veteran of the United States Army who received an Army Medal of Commendation having faithfully served his country during the Gulf War. He graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville. After graduation he enrolled in the University of the South where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and president of Delta Kappa Epsilon and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in chemistry. Mark then went on to Vanderbilt Medical School where he received his MD. He fulfilled his residency at Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco, Calif. Mark returned to Vanderbilt to pursue a fellowship in pediatric cardiology and later was an attending pediatric cardiologist at Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii and also at T.C. Thompson Childrens Hospital in Chattanooga. During his tenure Mark received teaching awards from both hospitals. Beyond his calling as a physician, Mark dedicated his life to caring for others be it his patients, family or friends. He treasured his liberal arts education and considered himself more than just a scientist but also a man of faith and lover of literature.Mark was preceded in death by his father, William Allan Parsons.He leaves behind to cherish his memory his loving wife of 33 1/2 years, the Rev. Lou Tucker Parsons; one daughter, Lisa Parsons; one son, William Parsons, of San Diego, Calif.; mother, Frances Doss Parsons, of Nashville; two sisters, Janet Glasscock and Jennifer Parsons, both of Nashville; and one brother, Allan Parsons and wife, Tara, of Winter Springs, Fla.A celebration of his life is planned for 11 a.m. today, Sept. 21, 2013, at St. Pauls Episcopal Church located at 305 W. Seventh St. in Chattanooga, with the Rt. Rev. George D. Young III and the Rev. Betsy Kammerdiener officiating.Interment will take place later that afternoon at 1:30 in the St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church Memorial Garden located at 7555 Ooltewah-Georgetown Road in Ooltewah.The family will receive friends following the interment in the church of St. Francis.You are encouraged to share a memory of Mark and/or your personal condolences with his family by visiting his memorial web guestbook at www.companionfunerals.com.Companion Funeral Home and the Cody family are honored to assist the Parsons family with these arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church, Episcopal Relief & Development, Sewanee: The University of the South, and the Childrens Hospital at Erlanger.

Published September 21, 2013

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