My Mom, Billie Parsons, passed peacefully early morning on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. She was 84 years old. I was by her side, holding her hand, telling her how jealous I was of all the family and friends she would see again.

She was born February 23, 1940, in Evergreen, Alabama. She lived her later years at her childhood home in Acworth, Georgia.

As a younger Billie, she and my father, Phil, loved to dance and tried every new restaurant that opened anywhere in metro Atlanta and later in the many other cities where we lived. Anything to avoid cooking! She traveled extensively in Europe in the "Europe on $10 a Day" era and instilled a sense of adventure in me, minus the $10 a day part! She always said," You can't go home the same way you went!" Even if it was out of the way, we traveled a different road home; if we got lost, that was even better.

With my dad working for the government, we moved around a lot when I was a child, which could be tough, but Mom loved it. It was a "new adventure," she would always tell me. We made many friends around the country who became as close as family. My last childhood home was in Smyrna, GA, and was a natural stopping point for all family and friends on their way to vacation in Florida. We had so many families coming by in the summer to spend a night or two that we answered the phone "Grand Central Station." Mom made everyone feel welcome. She would go home on her lunch hour to change the sheets for the next round of visitors. She was such a good friend. She never met a stranger.

She married a second time to Ray Parsons. They enjoyed having an additional home on Navarre Beach, Florida, and eventually a log cabin in North Georgia. Ray affectionally called me "Free Meal" as I had the uncanny ability to show up for dinner any night they were grilling steaks.

Later in life, she enjoyed going out for lunch and rides, and her caregivers, Mabry Medical Services, took her and their other clients on field trips, which she enjoyed so much. As Mom became more feeble, Mabry provided her daily care. She was doted on and loved having the company. They found her feisty, funny, witty, and the best with the snark. She would give everyone a hard time and loved it when they gave it back. One of her caregivers described Billie as "spicy."  What a perfect description!  Those who knew her will surely miss that special "spice" she brought to their lives.

As much as she loved the people in her life, Mom loved dogs (well, honestly, maybe more than the people), especially English Bull Dogs. She and Ray owned several over the years. And our many Brittianies earned a special place in her heart as her "grand dogs." She loved them so much that one of her last requests was that her ashes be buried in the doggie cemetery here at our farm. And so it will be.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate her life on October 26, 2024, from 12 to 4 p.m., at her home, 4494 Collins Circle, Acworth, GA 30101.

Collins Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Ms. Billie Parsons