Tributes pour in for Kevin Parsons, former MHA and mayor of Flatrock
Tributes poured in Thursday after the death of PC MHA Kevin Parsons. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
Colleagues and friends are remembering Kevin Parsons, a force in Newfoundland and Labrador politics for decades, for dedicated service to his constituents
Parsons was the long-time Progressive Conservative MHA for Cape St Francis, holding the post from 2008 to 2021. In 2020, Parsons announced he would not seek re-election.
Before serving in the House of Assembly, he had been Flatrock's mayor. More recently, he sat again on the town council.
On Thursday morning, tributes poured in from other politicians and from friends.
"Kevin Parsons was one of the kindest and most respected politicians I've ever met," PC leader Tony Wakeham said in a statement.
"He was devoted to his constituents, working as hard for them as he would for his own family."
Parsons's father — also named Kevin, who died in 2013 — represented the same area of communities north of St. John's in the House of Assembly for seven years.
Wakeham said Parsons worked for almost three decades in the office equipment industry and was deeply involved in his community, including his time as president of the Flatrock Community Centre and coach of the Holy Trinity High boys hockey team.
A party representative said he died overnight.
PC leader Tony Wakeham is remembering his former colleague Kevin Parsons as someone who served his Cape St. Francis constituents for more than a decade. (Tony Wakeham/X)
Premier Andrew Furey said he was thinking about Parsons' friends and family, and that Parsons was widely admired.
"During his time as Cape St. Francis MHA from 2008 to 2021, people saw his kindness and compassion and how much he cared for this province," he wrote in a post on X.
David Brazil — Parsons' PC colleague who represented Conception Bay East–Bell Island and was interim party leader — also wrote on the death of his friend.
"There are no words to capture the impact Kevin Parsons had on those around him. I'm fortunate to have called him my friend," Brazil wrote in a post on X. "Fly high, Kevin. Your memory will live on."
The Town of Torbay also posted condolences to X.
"His level of dedication to his community, the district of Cape St. Francis and the province has left an indelible mark. Rest in Peace," it stated.
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