Donald Thomas Ginn, 95, a longtime local contractor of Parsons, died at 2:20 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, at Woodridge Estates in Parsons, where he had resided since December 2009. 

He was born June 18, 1917, in Blue Earth, Minn., to Thomas Elton and Hazel (Hainsworth) Ginn. At age 12, he moved to Kansas where he lived in the Dennis and Stark areas before moving to Parsons. 

He married Maxine A. Olson in May 1936.  She preceded him in death on Jan. 20, 1956, after the birth of their 11th child.  On June 21, 1957, he married Alpha E. (Chastain) Cornell. She preceded him in death on July 10, 1999.

He served in the United States Army. For a short time, he worked for the Katy Railroad before becoming a local contractor in Parsons where he worked with his father and later his two sons, Leon and Ronnie, for many years. After selling his business, he moved to Bernice, Okla., where he lived until September 1976. At that time, he returned to Parsons where he had lived since.

He was a member of the Parsons Church of the Nazarene and, for many years, belonged to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. As a jack-of-all-trades, he gave many hours of his time to the residents of Parsons and was always willing to help others.

Survivors include his children, Patricia Kanute of Girard, Leon Ginn and his wife, Harriett, of Edmond, Okla., Ronald Ginn of Owasso, Okla., Janice Hentzen, Cheryl Jefferson and her husband, Bob, Debbi Baugher and her husband, David, all of Parsons, and Sharon Hopkins and her husband, Tim, of Port Mansfield, Texas; stepchildren, David Cornell and his wife, Verlene, of Parsons and Earl Cornell and his wife, Carolyn, of Palmdale, Calif.; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by four children, an infant son, Jerry Ginn, Stephen Ginn and Pamela Ginn; two stepsons, Lee Cornell and Arthur Ryan; a grandson, Rick Kanute; a stepgrandson, Chris Cornell; two sons-in-law, Jack Hentzen and Gerald Kanute; a daughter-in-law, Judy Ginn; an infant brother, and seven sisters, Maxine Anderson, Elsie Phillips, Carol Janssen, Deanne Grosshans, Olive Olson, Nona Wintersteen and Neva Kelly.

            The service will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home. Burial will be at Pleasant Hill Cemetery near Dennis. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

            Memorials are suggested to the Parsons Church of the Nazarene or Woodridge Estates. These may be left at or mailed to the funeral home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, 67357.

            Online condolences may be left at www.forbeshoffman.com.