LOIS PARSONS

Lois Parsons, 88, transitioned on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at her residence in Columbia, South Carolina. Born in Pike County, Missouri, she was the fourth and youngest child of the late Richard and Evelyn Douglas Parsons. She was a graduate of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, earning a BS degree in Business Education, completed further studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, DC Teachers College in Washington, D.C., and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. Her diverse employment experiences included: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C.; U.S. Peace Corps, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Volunteer Services to America (VISTA); Prairie View A&M University and corporate management in Texas, with Tenneco, Sun Oil and NL industries. In the '80s, she returned to Missouri and served as the administrative assistant to the late Sen. John F. Bass of St. Louis’ 4th Senatorial District. Later, she moved to Sumter, was employed at the YWCA and retired in 2007. An elder in the New Harmony Presbytery and recently with Trinity Presbytery, Lois served as moderator of Presbyterian Women, Mission Committee and Committee on Preparation for Ministry. Additionally, she served two terms as president of the Sumter Unit, Church Women United.

She has served in leadership roles with local and state League of Women Voters, Sumter Senior Services and the YWCA of Sumter. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 6717 David St., Columbia. The AKA Ivy Beyond the Wall will begin Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 4 p.m. at Palmer Memorial Chapel, 304 S. Main St., Sumter. Private interment will be at Memorial Gardens in Bowling Green, Missouri. The public may view on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Palmer Memorial Chapel in Sumter and on Sunday from noon until the hour of service at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Columbia. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Northminster Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC, and Church Women United.

Funeral arrangements are announced by Palmer Memorial Chapel Inc. Please visit the website, palmermemorialchapel.com, for further information.