MALCOLM GRAHAM PARSONS

1934-2020

Malcolm Graham Parsons, “Mal” to his friends, passed away peacefully on the 7th of November, 2020, at the age of 86. Mal’s health declined quickly this fall. True to his nature, he left us smiling and without a complaint. Mal was born in Hamilton, Scotland, and spent his early childhood in North Berwick, Scotland, and Newcastle, England. During WWII, he immigrated to Canada with his father, George Parsons, settling in Ottawa. Mal was a brilliant student; he graduated from Ashbury College at 15 years old and then earned a Bachelor of Applied Science from Queens University in 1954. Mal met the love of his life,

Gail Gibson, while prospecting for uranium in northern Ontario. After marrying Gail in 1957, he joined Imperial Oil as a geophysicist and began an adventurous life traveling the world. His work took Gail and their three children from Canada to Algeria, England, Australia, Libya, Turkey and, ultimately, to Houston, Texas, where he retired in 1993 following a long career with Exxon. Mal thrived being on the move; he ran marathons, travelled to most of the countries on Earth, and made a point of learning local languages including French, Arabic, and Turkish – so that he could talk to everyone and immerse himself in different cultures. He was gentle and kind, with an intellect and charm that naturally drew admirers. He leaves behind countless friends. Mal is survived by his eldest daughter, Allison and her partner Rick, and by his son, Andrew, his wife Katherine and their children Isabel, Graham, and Gordon. Gail, his wife of 62 years, passed away in 2019 and his second daughter, Janice, passed away in 2011. Mal and his family sprinkled their speech with words and phrases they learned from the different places they lived over the years. On his final departure, he would doubtless want to announce, with a twinkle in his eye, “tempus fugit” and “Ma’a Salama y’all”! Mal’s family will host a celebration of his life when it is safe to do so. Should friends desire, contributions may be made inMal’s memory to The American Cancer Society at P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK. 73123.