Former GC Sheriff John Curtis Parsley dies at age 86

Former Gonzales County Sheriff John Curtis Parsley, who served the county as its chief law enforcement officer for most of the 1980s, passed away Saturday, June 21.

Parsley was born June 20, 1939 and died one day after his 86th birthday. Following the resignation of Sheriff James L. Wiley in June 30, 1980, the Gonzales County Commissioners Court appointed Parsley to the position on July 3, 1980 and he would serve until succeeded on Jan. 1, 1989, by Sheriff Donald J. Brozozowski, who had been re-elected to the position after being out of office for nearly a decade.

During the Parsley administration, the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office began steps to modernize, setting it on the path to become a fully operational law enforcement agency. Prior to 1985, the office was only operational for the most part during the day on weekdays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Under Parsley, the GCSO moved to a 24-7 operation with patrols throughout the width and breadth of Gonzales County and created a separate investigator’s position that led to the eventual development of a full Criminal Investigations Division.