James Edward Parsley, 89, of Sullivan, passed away, 3:37 a.m. Sunday, May 30, 2021, at Decatur Memorial Hospital.
Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 5, 2021, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the service Saturday at the funeral home. Face masks are suggested and please practice social distancing for the services. Burial will be in Hammond Cemetery, Hammond. Memorials may be made to the Church of Christ in Hammond; 3rd & C Street, PO Box 276, Hammond, IL 61929
James was born July 23, 1931, in Glasgow, KY, the son of Justus H. and Fay (Mings) Parsley. He married Bertha Bernice Fleener on August 19, 1952 in Hammond; she preceded him in death on April 25, 2014. He served in the Army National Guard then served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. James worked at Caterpillar for 34 years. He was a member of the Hammond Church of Christ and the Old Time Fiddlers Association. He enjoyed playing his guitar and had a good sense of humor.
He is survived by his sons, James A. Parsley of Hammond and Jerry C. (Fiancé, Sandy Gillespey) Parsley of Dalton City; daughters, Becky Parsley of Ypsilanti, MI, and Kathy (Charles) Conn of Arcola; brothers, Joseph (Rita) Parsley of Town Creek, AL, and Timothy (Marilyn) Parsley of Mattoon; sisters, Pat (Doug) White of Lafayette, TN, Pamela (Butch) Bean of Red Boiling Springs, TN, and Vickie (Dale) Cherry of Lafayette, TN. He is also survived by 7 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
James was preceded in death by his parents, wife, 2 brothers, 4 sisters and 2 half-sisters.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mcmullinyoung.com
