Raymond C. Sparks Jr.

Raymond Caum Sparks, Jr., of Plano, Texas, passed away on Tuesday April 16, 2013 at his home at the age of 77. He was born on June 6, 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Raymond Sparks and Esther Bussinger and lived there until he joined the Air Force in 1952 at age 17.

He spent 20 years in the Air Force working with B-47’s and B-52’s in bomb navigation during the Vietnam era. He travelled the world and his tours of duty included; Geneva, NY, Denver, CO, Savannah, GA, Guam, Okinawa, Plattsburg, NY, Rapid City, SD, San Antonio, TX, Saudi Arabia, and England. He was honored with several awards in avionics as a technical teacher and bombing navigation instructor along with an Accommodation Medal for teaching in Thailand.

After retiring from the Air Force, he completed 2 years at St. Johns College in Winfield, Kansas and went on turn earn his bachelor’s degree in History from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas in 1976.

Upon graduation a friend told him of a career opportunity in Dallas, TX as a Technical Writer at Texas Instruments. His technical background, coupled with his expertise in the military sector, made the choice to move the family an easy one. So, the family settled in Plano, TX and Ray began his 2nd career which lasted 20 years. Most folks stop working upon retirement, but not Ray. He worked for the next 10 years at Hobby Town USA doing his favorite hobby, building planes and trains. He often joked that it was his most favorite job and he couldn’t really call it a job because he was having too much fun!

A few years ago, Ray decided to invest more of his time in his lifelong passion which was ministry. At one time he had aspirations of becoming a pastor. However, the Lord led him in a different direction and he became a Lay minister. Over the years he served many positions in the church including: youth director, leading small groups, and teaching the Bethel Bible Series. He was a Stephen Minister for 30 years. All of these roles and experiences allowed him to excel at his final job as Assistant Chaplain at Medical Center of Plano. Before making his rounds at the hospital, he would often stop and pray with Pastor Lindner and ask for guidance for the patients he was about to visit. There is no way to count the number of lives he touched over the years through his ministry. During his ministry rounds, he often used his favorite verse which was Psalm 23, “Because the Lord is my Shepherd I have everything I need!” (Living Bible)

Shirley Evelyn (as he called her), was the love of his life. After only three dates, he told her he was going to marry her. She laughed it off and said, “No, I don’t think so”! Ray had the final laugh when she said yes, and they married on June 8, 1958. They were married just shy of 55 years and had two children.

He was very much a part of his children’s lives and activities. Whether watching Cindy play soccer or Mike football, they could always count on their Dad being in the stands cheering them on. When Mike began coaching his own football team, his Dad remained faithful in supporting him from the sidelines. This support was carried through to every aspect of their lives.

The apples of his eye were his two granddaughters which he spent countless hours reading to. They went on walks with his beloved dog Kipper and just talked about life. As they grew older you would often find him helping them with special projects for school, or giving them advice on writing their latest History paper. He also enjoyed taking them to breakfast on Saturday mornings.

Ray is proceeded in death by his father, Raymond C. Sparks and mother, Esther Bussinger. He leaves behind his wife, Shirley Sparks of Plano, his daughter, Cindy Sparks of Plano, TX, his son and wife Mike & Michelle Sparks of Murphy, TX, and two granddaughters Brittany and Haley Sparks, also of Murphy, TX, nephew and wife Wes and Patti Westfall and their children Dylan &, Emily, nephew and wife Dan & Heather Westfall & their children Dawson, Emma & Aubrey, nephew & wife Frank & Doloris Grudowski & their children Bryan & Sara.

The family will receive friends at a visitation on Friday, April 19 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 20 at 10:00 am, followed by a luncheon in the fellowship hall.

Both the visitation and service will be held at

Lord of Life Lutheran Church

3601 W. 15th Street

Plano, TX 75075

He will be laid to rest on Monday, April 22 at 9:30 at Dallas Ft. Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75211 with a full military service.

Memorials may be made in Ray’s name to Lord of Life Church, 3601 W. 15th Street, Plano, TX 75075. Please choose between the following funds: Youth, Missions, Music, or Building.