Steven W. Sprague

Looking for Steve Sprague? Try the breezy beaches of the Outer Banks and Ocean City; the boisterous stands at a Ravens game; the sun-splashed deck the Tanterra Pool; or a tension-gripped wrestling meet.

Those were among Steve’s favorite places, reflecting what he enjoyed most: hanging out with his friends and family. Laughing. Cheering. Sharing his, um, opinion.

Steve laughed and cheered to his last day (March 22, 2019), which struck hard for his grieving loved ones but reunited him with the love of his life: his wife and best friend Carol, who passed away in 2010.

Steve grew up in Wheaton, Md., with his parents, Merle Edward and Rose Marie Sprague; his brothers Bill and Edward; and his sister, the late Darleen Cossette. A graduate of John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, young Steve was outgoing and “a little wild” at times, Bill says – but not to the point of trouble. His fun included drinking cheap beer and singing along to loud rock songs, recalls Rhonda Turner, who met Steve in kindergarten and remained close friends for life.

“We broke the dashboard in his car banging on it to Freebird,” Rhonda recalls. “We told his parents the sun did it while it was parked at my house.”

Not long thereafter Steve caught a more fortuitous break: When he saw Carol Sprague, the older sister of his friend Nancy Tantum, sitting at home with a cast on her leg, Steve took Carol out for one of his favorite feasts – crabs – to relieve the boredom that comes with crutches. Their forays grew into friendship, their friendship into romance. Together they raised their two cherished children, Laura and Michael.

Steve channeled his considerable energy into work as well; his friends and family knew him as especially focused and dependable on the job. Because Steve preferred to be in control of things, his favorite boss was Steve. His entrepreneurial ventures included a video rental shop and, with his brother Bill, businesses that placed dating ads in newspapers, churned out telephone calling cards, produced infomercials, and conducted home inspections. Bill recalls one of Steve’s fondest work days: Driving legendary sportscaster Jim McKay around in a golf cart at a West Palm Beach resort and directing him through an infomercial.

Ah, the beach: Steve bonded with surf and sand during his teen days at Ocean City, then with a family of his own headed each summer to a large house at the Outer Banks, happily jammed with grandparents, aunts and uncles of the Tantum family. For Steve, a beach vacation required being on the beach every minute possible. When he returned to Ocean City in recent summers with the children and their friends, he and Laura would claim a prime spot on the sand each morning while most others in the house remained under blankets; he stayed parked for the day.

As parents, Steve’s and Carol’s date nights fell often on Sunday afternoons: They got season tickets to the Baltimore Ravens right from the team’s inaugural season of 1996, and arrived early for the tailgates. “The only times we had baby sitters were for the games,” Laura recalls.

Steve, like Carol, was a regular at his children’s activities: at poolside during swim and dive meets at the Tanterra community pool in Olney (where he volunteered as a dive judge), and in the stands for Michael’s wrestling meets at local high school gyms and college arenas around the country – right until last weekend, when he watched Michael finish his wrestling career at the NCAA championships in Pittsburgh, Pa. "He lived for his kids," says family friend Rick Robinson.

Even at youth events Steve’s entrepreneurial and competitive instincts kicked in. For the local B&O Outlaws wrestling team, Steve turned a run-of-the-mill food concession during meets into a significant fundraiser, and launched an annual shrimp feast that more than a decade later stands as a can’t-miss social event for the parents. (Steve recently revealed to Outlaws coach Jarrod Elwell and his wife, Christine, one secret to his beverage sales success at meets: He blocked nearby water fountains with tables.)

Steve was also a dedicated caregiver for his family, sharing his home with his brother Edward and with his in-laws, the late William and Gladys Tantum. His friends felt that same generosity of spirit – displayed through encouragement, hospitality and friendliness – and will cherish it forever.

Friends may call at Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, 11800 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD, on Thursday, March 28, from 4-8 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 29, at 11 a.m., at Oakdale Emory United Methodist Church, 3425 Emory Church Rd., Olney, MD, 20832. Interment at Parklawn Memorial Park. Please sign the family guestbook at www.hinesrinaldifuneralhome.com