the middle child of 5 children born to his parents, Thomas Sparks and Ora
Wilson. Wilson’s family grew up very poor in the Great Depression. As a
very young boy, he hunted squirrel at 5 am in the morning for the family
breakfast, as well as birds with his bird dog. For fun he fished, hunted,
whittled, farmed, and got into mischief with his siblings! In his words, they
were poor in material things, but rich in love and togetherness. He wrote a
book about his life which includes his childhood adventures. What a
character he was!
At 17 years old, he was drafted into the Army before finishing high school.
He married Frances “Carlene” Lowrey, his high school sweetheart, then
shipped out to the WWII Pacific Theater in Okinawa from 1944-1946. In
addition to WWII, Wilson also served in Korea as part of the occupation.
Up to that point, he had never even been on a bus.
After returning home from WWII, he and his wife worked. As his father
was the principal of the schools he attended when he was growing up,
Wilson valued education, and wished to attend college at Mississippi
State. Since he did not graduate from high school, he received “special
permission” by the dean to attend college. Wilson had dyslexia, so school
was hard, however he was determined and persevered. He received his
bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State in Dairy Husbandry. He then
obtained his dream job in Bartow, Florida, managing a dairy ranch for J. K.
Stuart. He and Carlene moved there to live in 1950.
In 1951, Wilson and Carlene had one son, Tommy, who died at 2 months
of age. They had multiple miscarriages, and Carlene was quite depressed.
Wilson decided they would have to leave the ranch for Carlene to get over
her depression. They moved to Gainesville, Florida, where Wilson
accepted a position as an associate professor in Dairy Science at the
University of Florida.
In 1954, they adopted Donald Wilson Sparks at 4 months of age, and in
1956 they adopted Tina Louise Sparks at 2 months of age. Their family
was complete. While at the University of Florida, Wilson obtained his
master’s degree in Agriculture. His job as a dairy specialist extension
agent with the University required frequent traveling over the state, and
Wilson wanted to be home more with his family. This led him to an
important career change by becoming the Assistant Manager of the
Florida State Fair in Tampa in the 1960’s. As his strong work ethic and
decision making skills in the fair business were noticed, he accepted a
position as the General Manager of a 7-state fair called the Mid-South Fair
in Memphis, Tennessee. He worked there for 14 years, and became the
Executive VP and Director of that fair. He orchestrated the building of
Libertyland in 1976 (a bicentennial theme park) on the Mid-South Fair
grounds, and even entertained Elvis Presley and his entourage in that park.
He and Carlene met many famous people during those years (people and
acts that were contracted to perform at the fair). He worked long hard
hours, but it was a magical life in many respects.
In 1980, he had the opportunity to move back to Florida and manage the
Florida State Fair in Tampa. He and Carlene wanted to retire in Florida, so
this was a great opportunity. Next, he served as the Executive Vice
President of the IAFE (International Association of Fairs and Expositions),
and was inducted into the IAFE Hall of Fame for Fair Managers in 1985. In
1986, he was offered the position of Executive Director of the Georgia
National Fair, a sprawling 628 acre $25 million-dollar agricultural
showplace that he built and managed in Perry, Georgia. After he retired
from the Georgia National Fair, he continued to consult with fair managers
well into his 80’s, including the Louisiana State Fair and Volusia County
Fair to name a few. In the words of people that worked with him, he was a
legend in the fair business.
He loved fishing, gardening (vegetables in a big way), landscaping, oil
painting, and traveling. He loved his family deeply, and was a great
counselor and a good friend to many. He was a stern decision maker, but
was such a cut up, and really knew how to have fun! He was truly one of a
kind. When Carlene passed away at 87 years old, they had been married
68 years. A lifetime of commitment! Their entire family was so blessed to
have them as an example! Wilson always said, “If I had to live my life over
again, I would change very little.”
Wilson died November 10, 2020 at 94 years old. He is predeceased by his
wife Carlene and their son Tommy; his parents, Thomas and Ora Sparks;
his siblings Vernon (Evelyn) Sparks, Eloise (G.E.) Morrow, Jerry (Carolyn)
Sparks, Margarette (James) Rider; and son-in-law Donald McFarland.
He is survived by his 2 children, Don (Elaine) Sparks and Tina Sparks
McFarland. His 6 grandchildren include Christie Sparks, Michael (Lynn)
Sparks, Beau Weaver, David (Tracy) Weaver, Jeff (Flora) McFarland, and
Rachael Yenque. He has 9 grandchildren: Tyler, Caleigh, Gracie, Laura
Mae, Brianna, Sophia, Bradley, Kaia, and Liam. He loved them all!
A celebration of life service will be held at 2pm on Sunday, November 29, 2020. The service will also be available on YouTube upon personal request. Please private message Don, Tina or Dennis Lee for the link.
Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home
501 E Mitchell Hammock Road
Oviedo, FL 32765
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:
The Children’s Home Society of Florida
482 Keller Road
Orlando, FL 32810
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
v.1.8.18