Philip John Parsons, 81, of Bowling Green, Ohio, peacefully left us on July 21, 2025. He was born November 1, 1943, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Dorothy Lenore Crosby (1921-2020) and Stanley Paul Parsons (1916-1962).
Phil was an exceptional athlete in his youth, celebrating victories alongside many teammates with whom he remained lifelong friends. He played offensive and defensive back for the undefeated 1962 Bowling Green High football team and was a founding member of three-peat flag-football City champs, the Purple Nut Bombers. He remained a proud Bobcat and loyal supporter of BGSU Falcons basketball, hockey and football programs. Phil shared his love for sports with family and friends whether courtside or tailgating and enjoyed cheering on his family’s children who were inspired by him.
Phil enlisted in the United States Navy in 1962 and retired after 23 years of service, followed by retirement after a long career with Mack Vault Industries. He was an avid collector of rare marbles and foraged his share of morels. He enjoyed his years after retirement pier fishing in Naples and trading tales at Wes’s Bar with his hunting buddies and the Tolley, North Dakota community he cherished.
Phil was unequivocally a passionate outdoorsman, and happiest with a fishing pole in his hand or patiently waiting behind a duck blind in the field, a beloved retriever his constant companion. He was a founding member of Bowling Green’s Bassmasters Fishing Club (B.A.S.S.) and held memberships with several wildlife and habitat conservation organizations. He had a profound appreciation for nature and was most content drifting along in silence on a river or flushing pheasant from the open prairies out west every October with his closest friend, Paul Yon, and many others.
Phil is remembered as a strong yet gentle and humble man of few words, with a steadfast patience for all that life brought him.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Nancy Louise Parsons (1974-2024) and is survived by sister Linda Wolfe. In 1978, he married Donna Jeanne Parsons and had two children, daughter Kristene Teal Parsons (Sweetman) and son Buckley Paul Parsons, all who survive him. He is also survived by Patricia Anne Crowley, whom he married in 1992.
A celebration of Phil’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at Deck-Hanneman Funeral Home. Friends and family are invited to a lunch reception after the service.
Memorial donations may be made in memory of Philip J. Parsons to the North Dakota Game and Fish PLOTS Program (100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND), Ducks Unlimited, or Pheasants Forever
Hanneman Funeral Homes is honored to serve Phillip’s family and encourage those to share a fond memory or condolence by visiting www.hannemanfuneralhomes.com.
