Ward Chester Parsons, III

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ward Chester Parsons III. He died peacefully on
August 30th, 2023 in Littleton, Colorado. His daughter, Ashley, son-in-law Brett, and granddaughter Emily
were with him for his final hours. Our father answered to several names. As a child, he was Chet (or Butch
depending on whom you ask), Ward (formally), Doc (he wasn't one to insist on “Doctor”), and Dad. He is
survived by his children, Ashley Parsons Foehner and Ward Chester “Chet” Parsons IV, and grandchildren
Emily Foehner, Hunter Foehner, and Chloe Parsons. Dad was preceded in death by his wife, Genette Martin
Parsons. His siblings, Richard Parsons and Debra Parsons-Drake were blessed to visit Dad in June for Father’s
Day.

Ward and Genette were married in 1966 in Mobile, Alabama. He followed in his parents’ (Ward Chester
Parsons, Jr. and Cecilia Bridges Parsons) footsteps, joining the Navy after receiving his Doctor of Medicine
degree from LSU in New Orleans in 1973. He served his Residency in Diagnostic Radiology at the National
Naval Center in Bethesda, Maryland and received his certification by the American Board of Radiology in
1977. He completed his post-graduate studies in the US and in Sweden.
His professional accomplishments include serving as a guest speaker at over 200 national and
international conferences, sitting on the Mammography Examination Writing Committee for the American
Registry of Radiologic Technologists, and serving as a Clinical Image Reviewer for the American College of
Radiology, Mammography and Breast Ultrasound Accreditation Programs. His work as a radiologic technician
and radiologist, later specializing in mammography, is well-known and respected in many radiologic circles,
hospitals, and clinics. His vast diagnostic knowledge, technical expertise, and teaching credentials are wellknown
and admired.

When Ward wasn’t helping patients, he enjoyed travels to Sweden, France and Belgium. He and Genette
both loved seeing the world! His children benefited from his ability to teach them about just about any topic; if
he had seen it or read about it, he could tell you everything. He was a voracious reader and skilled writer.
Always a science fiction buff, he was a great fan of Star Wars while remaining true to his Star Trek roots. If
Isaac Asimov wrote it, he'd read it. Ward had a dry, witty sense of humor that endeared him to many.

Ward lived and worked in many places. Born in Baton Rouge, he attended university in New Orleans,
began his Naval Physician journey in Rockville, Maryland, moving to Memphis in 1977. He began his private
practice in 1981. This took him to Peoria, Illinois and Dallas and Houston, Texas. After Genette passed, Ashley,
Chet, and son-in-law Brett moved Ward to Littleton, Colorado where he enjoyed a new hometown and read up
on becoming a true Westerner. While he struggled in his final years, he always maintained his medical acumen
and was a gracious patient. He enjoyed his many outings with Brett, who always wrapped up doctors’
appointments with drives around town and in the foothills (and made sure to get a chocolate malt).

We will miss him dearly, but we are grateful Ward was able to spend his final years with family in a new
home state.

“Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may
rest in peace.”
An Order for Compline, Book of Common Prayer