Daughters of fallen St. Paul fire captain get financial boost from nonprofit: ‘We’re so thankful for people like your dad’

Mara H. Gottfried, Pioneer Press
·3 min read

The two daughters of a St. Paul fire captain who died unexpectedly last month went to fire department headquarters Thursday to pick up his last paycheck, and Minnesota 100 Club members were also there to give each young woman a check.

The nonprofit provides financial support to families of first responders who die or are seriously injured in the line of duty. Capt. Chris Parsons’ daughter, Kaya Parsons, recently graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in aerospace engineering, and Annika Parsons will be a junior at St. Cloud State University and is majoring in business.

Parsons, known for his statewide advocacy for firefighter health and safety, had a heart attack an hour and a half after finishing a shift, said St. Paul Assistant Fire Chief Jeramiah Melquist. The fire department and the International Association of Fire Fighters are classifying the 48-year-old’s death as occurring in the line of duty.

But the process of benefits approval can be long and, with Parsons being divorced, his daughters need to ensure their father’s mortgage is paid, along with other bills, Melquist said.

“That’s what we really exist for is to bridge that gap for those families,” said Lanee Noble, Minnesota 100 Club president.

The club started in 1972, when “five guys were sitting around a bar after a police officer had been shot and killed,” Noble said. “They each pitched in 100 bucks and took it to the widow, so that’s the 100 Club. … As part of the first responder group, it’s family.”

Noble told Kaya and Annika Parsons on Thursday: “We’re so thankful for people like your dad.”

Tom Brace, Minnesota 100 Club vice president and a former Minnesota state fire marshal, knew Parsons. Parsons served as Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters president from 2014 to 2021, representing International Association of Fire Fighter local unions throughout the state.

“He had incredible loyalty to the rank-and-file firefighter and politically, he held great stature at the Capitol,” Brace said. “People listened to him, whether you agreed or disagreed, he was a man who had strong opinions.”

Parsons, who was an organ donor, died at the hospital June 15 surrounded by his family.

The biggest risks to firefighters are considered cancer, cardiac and emotional trauma. “Sadly, Chris’ passing at an early age is indicative of the health risks to firefighters he made great effort to call attention to and worked so hard to reduce,” St. Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks previously said.

Melquist said he wasn’t aware of Parsons having a preexisting heart condition. Parsons played tennis and was a runner, and people at his funeral asked each other, “How are you and I still here and he’s not?” because he was so physically fit, Melquist said.

Kaya Parsons said she’s grateful her father got to attend her college graduation, but “it’s bittersweet because I wish he got to see me get a job.” She moved in with her dad after graduating, while looking for an engineering job in the Twin Cities.

“He was my biggest cheerleader,” Kaya Parsons said of her father, who helped proofread her reports and presentations in school and more recently her job applications, along with holding mock job interviews for her.

Minnesota 100 Club, GoFundMe

Information about the Minnesota 100 Club, including how to donate, can be found at mn100club.org.

Because of Parsons’ focus on championing legislation that banned cancer-causing chemical fire retardants, the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative established a memorial fundraiser for Parsons for PFAS research and its impact on firefighters at gofundme.com/f/chris-parsons-memorial-fund-for-pfas-research.

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