Leola Virginia (Whitney) Parsons

Leola Parsons, 94, of Idaho Falls, passed away 25 May 2023, at Parkwood Meadows Assisted Living. She was under the care of Hands of Hope Hospice and her loving family. 

Leola Virginia Whitney was born 1 March 1929, at Marietta, Ohio, to parents, Hensel Whitney and Grace Johnson Whitney. She grew up in the rolling wooded hills of southeast Ohio. On 8 January 1949, she married Rex Parsons in Marietta. She and Rex had a family of five children. She is survived by her daughters, Mary (Ernie) Flegel and Ruth (Paul) Johnson, and her son, Gabe (Bev) Parsons. She is also survived by one sister, Bessie, and by 18 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. Her husband, Rex, and two of her children, Joe and Martha, preceded her in death. 

In 1962, Leola and her family moved from their farm near Marietta to another one near Ashdown, Arkansas. In 1967, Leola joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was an active member for the rest of her life. She worked at a garment factory near Ashdown for a number of years.  

After Leola’s husband passed away in 1984, she lived with two of her children and helped them care for their families. This took her to Oregon and Nevada. When her daughter, Martha, was badly injured in Arkansas in an automobile accident in 2001 and was moved to an assisted living home in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Leola moved to Idaho Falls to be near her and help care for her. She spent the last twenty-one years of her life in Idaho Falls, Idaho, near her daughters, Martha, who died in 2015, and Mary, who lives in Ammon.  

Leola served her church by teaching the Sunbeam class in Arkansas. Once she moved to Idaho Falls, she taught Relief Society lessons at the Valley Care Nursing Home. Leola was an amateur photographer and family historian all of her life, and she recorded images and stories of family members and ancestors from the time she was a young girl. She has left a legacy of historical photos, stories, and documentation for her descendants.    

The family expresses their appreciation to Parkwood Meadows Assisted Living, Hands of Hope Hospice, and Wood Funeral Home for their dedication to serving our mother’s needs.  

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at Wood Funeral Home East Side, 963 S. Ammon Road. The family will visit with friends from 12:30-1 p.m. prior to services. Burial will be in the Ammon Cemetery.