Biography

Ida May Parsons née Smith (1887-1973)

Ida was the eldest child of John and Margaret Smith, born on the 19th of November 1886 (Reg No. 4298) in Dunedin. As with the other children in this family she was baptised a Catholic at St Joseph’s Cathedral on the 22nd of December 1886 and her Godparent was Elizabeth Gollar.
She worked for many years at Cadbury’s Chocolate Factory but we do not know in what position.

In 1908 at the age of 21 years, at Orakanui she married Herbert Ernest Parsons (Ernie) who was born in 1882.They had four children, Mavis Margaret Mary, Ethel May, Ida and Earnest. It appears that this family resided in Matakanui until 1926 when they moved to Blacks, Ophir and then Dunedin. Ida was widowed after only about 9 years of marriage and never remarried.

Ida Parsons died on the 18th of October 1973, aged 86 years, at the Rest Home in Anderson’s Bay and was buried at the Northern Cemetery on the 20th of October 1973, along with her husband and daughter, in Block 56A, Plot 4. Also buried in the same plot with Ida and Herbert (Ernie) are Ernie’s parents, Mary Cramond Parsons, who died on March 1st 1908, and Harry Cramond Parsons, who died on January 2nd 1910.

Ida May Parsons as an infant and in later life at birthday celebration
Source: Deniece Gresham