Funeral arrangements have been announced for former WCAX anchor Marselis Parsons, who died Wednesday from cancer.
Parsons retired six years ago from WCAX after 43 years at the Burlington, Vt. CBS affiliate. While there, he had worked as a reporter, an anchor, and news director.
In his last newscast, he said, “We have been a guest, I have been a guest in their homes for 25 years. It has been an honor.”
WCAX says Parsons started his career as a radio reporter at WTSL in Hanover, N.H.. His first TV job was in Lebanon.
He was known for his tough but fair interviews, his curiosity and his sharp eye for powerful pictures. If it was policy or politics, Parsons was part of it. There were too many difficult stories to tell, and some hit too close to home. Like when his boss, Richard Gallagher, died suddenly and Marselis had to report the death on the news. He was suddenly put in the position of replacing a legend. Now, the face of Channel 3, he was the leader of the newsroom– a position he held for 25 years. When it was time to slow down, he told stories he really wanted to tell with his “Postcards from Parsons” segments.
Parsons funeral is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, at 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington. He was 70.