Reginald Parsons was the son of George Howland Parsons and Lorraine Hascall. He was born in Flushing, New York and lived in Colorado and California before coming to Seattle in 1904. He accomplished a great many things during his life, as is detailed in his biographies and obituaries below. In 1901 he married Maude Bemis, daughter of Judson M Bemis and Alice Cogswell. They had five children Anne, Reginald B., George H., Mary B. and Alice L. George married Elizabeth McDonald, daughter of Donald A. McDonald and Elizabeth T. "Bess" McDonnell.

Related Items:
Pictures of a Bemis Bag Co. building and advertisement.
Biography from 1924.
Biography at HistoryLink.org and his Wikipedia entry.
Website for Camp Parsons, the Boy Scouts camp he donated land for.
Hillcrest Orchard, started by Reginald and Maude in 1908 and still operated by the Parsons family.
Obituary for his son George's wife Elizabeth (McDonald) Parsons.

Illness had forced Mr. Parsons' virtual retirement from his many activities the past few years. He had been hospitalized 19 months. His home was at 618 W. Highland Drive.

Mr. Parsons was born in Flushing, Long Island, N.Y., October 3, 1873. He resided in Colorado and California before coming to Seattle in the early 1900's.

One of Mr. Parsons' prime interests was the Boy Scouts. He served as president of the Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts and was a member of the executive board of the national organization.

The land for Camp Parsons, the Boy Scout camp on Hood Canal, was given to the Seattle Scout Council by Mr. Parsons.

Among his many civic functions, Mr. Parsons served as president of the Community Chest, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber of Commerce. He was a director of the Arboretum Association and president of the Japan Society.

Founder of Lakeside School
Mr. Parsons was also a director of both the United States Chamber of Commerce and the International Chamber of Commerce and an honorary president of the Family Society of Seattle. He was a founder of the Pinel Foundation and of the Lakeside School.

He attended Colorado College, the University of California and Whitman College.

Mr. Parsons was a member of the Episcopal Church. His club affiliations included the University, Rainier, Arctic, College and Washington Athletic Clubs.

Mr. Parsons was in the mining business in Colorado. Early in his Seattle career, he was associated with the He also was widely known as an orchardist and livestock man in the Pacific Northwest.

Some of the companies with which he was associated included the Hillcrest Orchard Co., Rogue River Valley; the Methow Valley Livestock Co, and the Mountcrest Ranch, Siskiyou County, Calif. He also was president of the Northwest Fruit Exchange.

Director of Banks
Mr. Parsons also was associated with the Parsons Investment Co. and the Pinnacle Packing Co, and was a director of banks, Insurance companies and other financial institutions.

Rites Set Saturday
Funeral services will be at 10 o'clock Saturday forenoon in St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, with the Bonney-Waston mortuary in charge.

Survivors include his wife, Maude B.; two sons, Reginald B.; Los Angeles, and George H. Parsons, Seattle; two daughters, Mrs. Howard A. Frame, Los Altos, Calif., and Mrs. John S. Day, Medford, Ore.; 11 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Mr. Parsons was president of the Parsons Investment Co. and the firm of Parsons, Hart and Co. In addition, he was head of the Pinnacle Packing Co., Medford, Ore., and owner of Hillcrest Orchard in that city.

He was an active board member of the Seattle Trust and Savings Bank and the Northern Life Insurance Co.

New York Native
Born at Flushing, N.Y., on October 3, 1873, Mr. Parsons was a lineal descendent of John Bradford, the first governor of Massachusetts, and of Governor Winthrop of Connecticut.

He was educated in Rhode Island public school, Colorado College and the University of California, and held an honorary degree from Whitman College.

His first position was with the survery party which made the reconnaisance for the Rio Grande Western Railway across Utah in 1891 and 1892.

Later he became active as a real estate man and mining broker in Colorado Springs.

Civic Leader
He came to Seattle in 1904 as Seattle manager of the Bemis Bros. Bag Co., and since that time has resided at 618 W. Highland Dr.

His many activities included fruit and stock raising, and in 1910 he helped organize the Northwestern Fruit Exchange, which he headed.

During his lifetime, he has served as the head of numerous civic groups, including presidency in the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the Family Society of Seattle, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Community Fund, which he helped found.

He was a leader in youth work, helping to found the Lakeside School for Boys and holding national office in the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scout recreational area, Camp Parsons, was named for him.

Club Member
Mr. Parsons was instrumental in the formation of the Pinel Foundation Hospital, which has received nationwide recognition for its psychiatric work.

His lingering illness forced Mr. Parsons to drop many of his club and business activities, but at the time of his death he was a member of the University Club, the Seattle Tennis Club, the Rainier Club and the Washington Athletic Club, of which he was one of the first members.

Mr. Parsons is survived by his wife, Maude B. Parsons; two sons, George II Parsons of Seattle, and Reginald B. Parsons of Los Angeles; two daughters, Mrs. Howard A. Frame of Palo Alto, Calif. and Mrs. John S. Day, of Medord, Ore.; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Mark's Cathedral. The Bonney Watson Co. has charge of the arrangements.

The family requests remembrances be in the form of contributions to the Boy Scouts, the Lakeside School for Boys, or the Pinel Foundation Hospital.