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One of Harlan County’s most influential individuals, Don Parsons, passed away recently at the age of 83 in Cumberland Gap, TN.

Parsons, among the most well-known people in Harlan County, was born in Barbourville on May 2, 1942. He was raised by his parents, Estle Grant and Curtis Parsons, in the Evarts area of Harlan County.

After graduating from Evarts High School, he attended Eastern Kentucky University before returning to Harlan County where he worked as a teacher at James A. Cawood High School and Wallins High School.

Parsons may be best known through the grocery business. Anybody who lived in Harlan County in the 1970s and 80s knew him from his family’s grocery store, Macks. The store’s Baxter location grew to include other businesses in a large complex, including Western Auto, Ben Franklin, and a restaurant among others.

He operated many successful businesses in Harlan County, including Cumberland Jewelry and Pawn, Crossroads Liquor, and Smokn’ Joe’s. He also played a part in community service, helping to found the Clover Fork Clinic and sitting on boards at Harlan ARH Hospital, the Bank of Harlan, and Harlan National Bank. He had three children, Ginger Parks (husband David), Donna Martin (husband Jeff), and Curtis Scott Parsons (wife Jennifer).

According to wife Regina Parsons, Don enjoyed developing properties.

“He had a business mind,” she said. “He branched out into construction and remodeling buildings and leasing property.”

Don’s Super Saver likely stands as the best known of Don Parsons’ business ventures in Harlan County. He also owned properties outside Harlan, including a farm near Frankfort which he sold to a developer to be used for a shopping center and a condominium complex near Rupp Arena in Lexington.

Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley has known Don for more than 30 years.

“I came to know Don Parsons when I was 10 years old,” Mosley said. “My mom had previously worked for him and Harold (Parsons, Don’s brother) at Macks in Baxter. Then, when he opened Don’s, she went to work there in the early 90’s. I went to work for him two days after I turned 16 years old at Don’s Super Saver as a bag boy.”

Mosley mentioned Don’s Super Saver was his first real job.

“I’ve had a job every day since that point,” Mosley said. “He came to me after I’d worked a couple years and asked me to move to Smokin’ Joes…It was like a huge promotion at that point in time.”

Mosley remembered Don giving him much needed advice after his first year in college.

“He called me to his office after my first semester at Southeast,” Mosley said. “He told me my mom had shared with him that I hadn’t done very well and she didn’t think I was very focused on college. He gave me a pretty good lecture on how to remove my head from a particular cavity of my body and told me he would pay for the remaining time at Southeast with a scholarship, he would cover that for me. I’ll never forget that conversation. We all have pivotal moments in our lives. It was a time that my vision really became focused, and I realized I better remove my head from that body cavity or I’m going to not be able to be successful in life. I remember that very well.”

Mosley noted Don had an infectious work ethic.

“Don was a person who worked extremely hard,” Mosley said. “His work ethic was contagious. He was always moving…he could take a building and transform it into something other people never saw possible. Only certain people possess that skill.”

Mosley mentioned Don provided funds for many local organizations.

“Particularly the Boys and Girls Club,” Mosley said. “If it hadn’t been for people like Don Parsons, there wouldn’t have been a Boys and Girls Club, because they helped fund the start of that endeavor…he helped many people in need…He was generous. He helped a lot of folks in our community.”

Steve Miracle of Total Electric remembers seeking out Don Parsons when he began Total Electric.

“I started my business, Total Electric, 31 years ago,” Miracle said. “I wanted some accountability, and I felt like Don would be a go to person for that.”

Miracle said he trusted Don Parsons to be up front about any problems he saw with Miracle’s plans.

“He was on the spot with it,” Miracle said. “Down through the years he would make comments here and there, and I guess as a result our relationship came to a point where I could let him know if I felt he was headed down a trail he shouldn’t be going. He let me know real quick if I was on the wrong path, and that meant a lot to me, coming from him.”

Miracle mentioned Don helped many people in the area without fanfare.

“Don did a lot of good that he didn’t get credit for,” Miracle said. “Generally, when you’re in business, people are quick to recognize any negative that comes up, but they’re so forgetful of the good. I know Don did several things in the community that were a big help for people personally as well as in business.”

In his leisure time, Don enjoyed riding dirt bikes and spending time on Norris Lake.

“He had a houseboat on Norris Lake for a long time,” Regina Parsons said. “He liked boating, and he liked to go to car shows. He enjoyed looking at all the old cars. He lived life on his own terms.”

Don enjoyed the local scenery and spent a time at the Pinnacle in Cumberland Gap National Park near Middlesboro. A dyed in the wool University of Kentucky sports fan, he could often be found at the UK Wildcats games cheering them on.

“I’ll miss him,” Mosley said. “He was definitely a special person in my life for many years. I’m thankful that our paths crossed when they did 33 years ago.”