Dale L Sparks 1921 - 2003

SPARKS SMITH

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 4/11/2010 at 23:42:17

Sioux City Journal
28 January 2003

MOVILLE, Iowa -- Dale L. Sparks, 81, of Stewartville, Minn., formerly of Moville, died Friday, Jan. 24, 2003, at his residence of an apparent heart attack.

Memorial services will be 1:30 p.m. today at Stewartville United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Jef Olson officiating. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Griffin-Gray Funeral Home in Stewartville.

Mr. Sparks was born July 15, 1921, in Moville. He grew up on the family farm and graduated from Moville High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and served with the 8th Army Air Corps in England during World War II.

He married Vera Smith on Jan. 20, 1945, in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The couple came to the United States in 1946 and farmed in the Moville and Plainfield, Iowa, areas, until moving to Kendall, Wis., in 1959. They moved to Stewartville in 1966. He worked as a mechanic at Gopher Aviation in Rochester, Minn., for many years. He also worked at Stauffer Corp. in Rochester in mechanical maintenance. Mrs. Sparks passed away on March 28, 2002.

He was a longtime member of Stewartville United Methodist Church, where he served as usher. He enjoyed coaching summer softball, crosswords, woodworking, golf and was an avid Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Vikings fan.

Survivors include a son, Greg (Jean) Sparks of Onalaska, Wis.; two daughters, Margaret (Fred) Holets and Theresa (Ken) Simon, all of Rochester; three grandchildren; two brothers, Burt (Lee) Sparks of Sioux City, and Jay Sparks of Moville; and three sisters, Millie (Wayne) Bowers of Gilman City, Mo., Helen Gardner of San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Lee McElrath of Moville.

He also was preceded in death by three brothers.