Obituary of Thomas S Parsons

Tom Parsons, age 80, of Lower Township, Cape May Bird Observatory volunteer, naturalist, and mentor. The Cape May birding community this week lost one of its own on May 15, 2011. Tom Parsons was a professor of Zoology at the University of Toronto. He and his wife Peg (who passed away in 2007) retired to Cape May in 1992. They moved to Cape May so they could be near what they loved - Birds, Birding, and Birders. He was a fixture in the birding community. Tom was a volunteer and led walks for the Cape May Bird Observatory. He shared his wealth of knowledge with thousands of nature lovers over the years. Tom could be seen every day walking Cape May Point, looking for birds and was more than happy to talk about birds to locals and visitors. If you looked at a group of birders just about anywhere at any season in Cape May, Tom was probably one of the members; finding birds, giving advice, and generally being helpful. In lieu of flowers, his "family"at the Cape May Bird Observatory are urging mourners to simply take a nature walk. The greatest tribute anybody could pay to Tom is to just go outside and take a walk. And when you look up and see a bird, think of Tom. A tribute to honor Tom is being planned for a beautiful day in Autumn.