Mildred Coulter Parsons
Mildred Coulter “Jody” Parsons, age 84, left this world quietly at Concordia Health and Rehabilitation Center in Bella Vista to be with her heaven- ly Father on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Mrs. Parsons had a massive stroke on February 14, Valentine’s Day, 2019 and was admitted to the Rehab Center on that day and was a patient there until her death. She was born on February 12, 1936, at Granite Mountain Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Harold Winston Coulter and Jeanette Coulter.
Mr. Coulter was a deacon in the Baptist Church so Jody in her youth attended church almost every time the doors were open. From the time she was twelve years old, she was a strong conservative Christian. She attended grade school in Mabelvale, Arkansas, and high school in Atlanta, Texas. She attained a Masters Degree in speech and drama at East Texas State University. It was there that she and Jim Parsons fell in love and were married on August 25, 1957, during their senior year.
After graduation, she taught speech and drama in several high schools in Texas while Jim was the football coach. In 1965 she became the head of the Speech and Drama Department at Texarkana College, while Jim was teaching anatomy and physiology.
Jody loved teaching and her students loved and admired her. They affectionately referred to her as “Mrs. Momma Drama.” For three years in a row, Jody’s drama group won first place in the Texas Community College Theatrical Contest. She taught at Texarkana College for 18 years and then in 1984 she became a Series Seven Stock Broker. In 1987, the Parsons moved to Mountain Home where Jody took up her brokerage business once again.
In 1989, the Parsons moved to Rogers where Jody taught drama and English at the newly created North West Arkansas Community College and Jim was Division Chairman of Science and Math. In the school year of 1991-1992 Jody on her own initiative and a zero budget, directed one-act plays every Saturday night at Tony “C” s’ downtown restaurant. It was a dinner theater and she used actors from the community and her own drama students. They all had fun and enjoyed playing before a packed house every Saturday night.
Jody was a writer and author. One of her books was titled, “BACK YONDER.” State archivist, Tom Dillard proclaimed that the book was one of the best history books to deal with the way people lived in the Ozarks in the late 1800s. Wayman Hogue, Jody’s great uncle wrote the book initially, but very few copies still existed so Jody brought the book back to life as an annotated version.
In 1998, Jody formed a statewide group called AUTHORS’ SHOWCASE. Authors came to Bentonville for a two-day workshop to share their stories and hawk their books. Many authors came from other states and it was an enjoyable event for all.
Jim and Jody moved to Bella Vista in 1998. While living in Bella Vista Jody was elected chairman of the Bella Vista Chapter of Republican Women which during her tenure was the largest Chapter of Republican Women in Arkansas.
One of Jody’s greatest joys was to travel. Most of it was to accompany Jim to his military assignments nationwide. With the exception of four, she traveled to every state in America. They also made trips into Mexico and Canada. She especially enjoyed the formal military balls when young handsome soldiers would ask, “Mrs. Colonel, would you like to have a chair or anything?”
Mrs. Parsons was beautiful, talented, intelligent, educated and loved by everyone she met. Perhaps her greatest talent was that she could talk with generals and privates, U.S. Congressmen and janitors and treat them all the same.
Mildred “Jody” Parsons is survived by her husband, Jim Parsons; son, Randy Parsons and his wife Janett; sister, Joyce Sullivan and her husband Charles; granddaughter, Megan and her husband Adam Womble; grandson, Andrew Parsons and his wife Rachael and their four children, Violet, Laurel, Hazel and Collum.
Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, a funeral and memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
Arrangements by Benton County Funeral Home 306 N. 4th St. Rogers, Arkansas.
PAID OBITUARY