J.R. Parsons

PARKERSBURG — The legacy of longtime J.R.’s Donut Castle owner J.R. Parsons will be more than tasty pastries and those signature pepperoni rolls.

Parsons, who died Saturday at the age of 66, will be remembered by his youngest son, Aaron, as a hard worker.

“We were never allowed to quit anything that we started,” said Aaron Parsons, who took over as owner of the Emerson Avenue eatery this year.

That work ethic was obvious to others too, including Parkersburg Mayor Jimmy Colombo, who lives a few doors down from J.R. Parsons.

“I really admire people like him,” Colombo said. “When other people were sleeping, he’s up at 4 a.m., putting in a full day plus.”

Susie Meredith, with North Parkersburg Baptist Church, will remember the elder Parsons’ generosity. About 14 years ago, she contacted him to ask if she could buy rolls for the new Friendship Kitchen the church was putting together.

“He said, ‘I’m not going to let you buy those, Susie; I’m going to give them to you,'” she recalled Monday.

And it wasn’t just the rolls. Additional donuts and pepperoni rolls also made their way to the Friendship Kitchen tables from time to time.

“Any time they would ever have extra, he would bring it,” Meredith said.

“He was one of the best men I’ve ever known,” she said.

Meredith said Parsons was caring and loved to joke around.

“(He) seemed like he was such a hard-nosed person, but he wasn’t at all,” she said.

Aaron Parsons said his father enjoyed chatting with anybody who came in to the establishment.

“He didn’t care what age you were, what sex you were, he loved B.S.’ing with customers,” he said.

Parsons started working at what was then called simply the Donut Castle in 1973, meeting his future wife, Darlene, there. In 1977, they took over the operation, changing the name to J.R.’s Donut Castle.

The business was always a family affair, Aaron Parsons said. He started working there two days a week at age 10, right after his brother Jeremy.

“I couldn’t stand that he started and I didn’t,” he said.

Aaron Parsons helped wait on customers and rolled pepperoni rolls, while also learning the value of a dollar. His dad let him spend a portion of his paycheck but he had to put the rest in savings.

It was the interaction between his father and customers that really sold Aaron on following in his footsteps.

“He was the donut king. He was known in town,” Aaron Parsons said.

He remembered some college students who used to come by the shop after they got out of class at Parkersburg High School stopping in to ask how his dad was doing not long ago.

In addition to those lessons in running the business, managing money and interacting with customers, Aaron said his father imparted to him the importance of giving back, which is one reason he continues to support the Friendship Kitchen.

“The community helps us be a business; we need to help the community too,” he said.

J.R. Parsons is survived by his wife; his daughter, Lisa Thornton; two sons; two grandchildren; two brothers; and two sisters. His funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday at Leavitt Funeral Home in Parkersburg.