Parsons likes Madison’s quality of life
- Steve Parsons likes Madison’s low crime rate, community amenities, good schools and abundance of churches. CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – For Steve Parsons, Madison is where he put life’s priorities in place.
“I found the Lord and was baptized here, found my best friend and married her and raised our family together,” Parsons said. He sees Madison as “best of several worlds” with a somewhat small-town America feel without big-city issues, comparably lower crime rates, excellent school system, many thriving churches and a good standard of living.
“What is there not to like?,” he said. “We’re all truly blessed beyond measure.”
Parsons enjoys history. In Madison, “You have to dig and sift for the ‘good stuff.'” An avid outdoorsman, he finds plenty of good hunting and fishing along the Tennessee River.
Most “Madisonites” may not realize that the town has a motto: “Play hard, learn well and live richly.” He wishes the word ‘richly’ could be replaced with a more fitting word that can’t be misinterpreted. “But what do I know?”
A veteran, he served as a forward observer/logistician with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1985 through 1991. The last few years, Parsons spent attached to Naval Seal team (Coronado, Calif.) as part of the newly created USSOCOM effort.
A native of Birmingham, Parsons worked his my way through graduation from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1993. He started to work for a large, international construction equipment company with a Madison location.
“I came up here on a Sunday night to my rented one-bedroom apartment to start a new job the next morning. Beings I literally knew no one and could barely find my way back to the interstate, I got lost going to work on my very first day,” Parsons said.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘I give this place about 90 days until I’ll be back home.’ That’s been 23 years ago and still haven’t made it yet,” he said. Parsons now works as a Senior Territory Manager at NES Rentals.
His wife Novella works as a placement specialist for Alliance HR. Their daughter Claire is a senior at James Clemens High School and son Charlie is a Jets freshman.
“Most all volunteer work is done through our church of 15 years, Madison Church of Christ on Hughes Road,” Parsons said.
He believes music reached it summit circa 1965-1975 for its quality and timely meaning. Parsons’ favorite food in Madison originates at Ba-Ba-Que at a convenience store on Madison Boulevard.
