Gary Thomas Spragins

He was born in the middle of the Great Depression, but his life’s mantra was the opposite - always optimistic and positive. Gary was born in southern California to Truman and Sophia Spragins, a young couple who fell in love and dared to elope and get married in one of the most challenging times of our country’s history. The Dust Bowl and the Great Depression was impacting America deeply when Gary was born in 1935, and that time period and its challenges forever shaped his life. Although his parents and family were from the Oklahoma panhandle, Gary was born in California as they were forced to flee the ravages of the Dust Bowl. They worked in California and repeatedly returned home to Oklahoma, hanging onto their land and life with all their might.

At a very young age, Gary worked the land, planting wheat and running an irrigation system in the early days of that farming technology in the Oklahoma panhandle. Parents today would never risk a 6 or 7 year-old’s safety with the dangerous farm equipment that Gary handled, but back then it was a necessity. He learned about hardship, the physical pain of work and its rewards, gratitude for a warm meal, and how to love and watch over his little sister, Trudy and younger brother, Daryl through it all.

As a boy sitting atop a Case tractor for hours, he dreamed of a bright future and knew he had the talent and confidence to build it. One day in school in 7th grade, an architect came to speak to his class. He ran home that day to tell his mom that he knew what he wanted to be: an architect that could dream and envision spaces and structures for people to gather in and enjoy; and he would design and draw them to be built into reality. He was one of those rare and fortunate people that envisioned his talents early on, dreamed of the future, went for all of it with his full focus and energy, and worked hard to make it happen.

That’s just what Gary did. He worked hard for his dad and family, dreamed of his future, set high goals, grew up to graduate from Guymon High School, and then earned an architectural degree from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK in 1958.

The Husband: The most important thing in Gary’s life happened when he met Sharon Southard from Ryan, OK who was also attending OSU. They met at the Howdy Dance at the Student Union, fell deeply and forever in love, and married on June 28, 1958. Gary and Sharon proudly celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2023, loving each other as completely as any two people could imagine. Gary loved Sharon with all his heart and strength from the day he met her until the day he died, lying next to her as always with a kiss goodnight and a cup of coffee in the morning. They are the proud parents of three children; Brad Thomas Spragins born July 31, 1959; Valerie Sue Spragins (Trottier) born October 16, 1962; and Alan Todd Spragins born August 23, 1970. They are blessed with two granddaughters, Chelsea Sue Rouse and Allison Kay Trottier; and one great-granddaughter, Tatum Lee Rouse.

The Artist: Gary was a licensed architect in 7 states including Oklahoma, Arizona and California. The commercial projects and buildings he designed during his career were innovative, environmentally sustainable, and designed in harmony with each site and elevation. Many are still standing and in use today including the Tempe Municipal Building, Celebrity Theatre/Phoenix, VA Hospital Domiciliary/Prescott, Park Towers/Tulsa, Sherwood Park/Payson and the White River Apache schools. Gary also designed several residences for the Spragins family, and he served as the design review architect for Chaparral Pines in Payson, AZ. With his talented hands and artful eye, Gary sketched and painted thousands of artworks for his family and friends enjoyment using watercolor, oils, charcoal and his life-long tool - the pencil.

The Pilot: Gary was a pilot and flew small aircraft throughout his life, with a special appreciation of the Mooney which was the first and last plane he owned and flew. He was a veteran of the United States military, having served in the Air National Guard with an honorable discharge. He loved flying through the clouds and gaining perspective and appreciation from a viewpoint above the earth. It’s just scary enough to be tremendous fun, he would say as he landed on the runway. He would rise early with the sun, climb in his Mooney, and soar through the sky to feel the beauty and inspiration up there.

The Cowboy: Gary loved the West and had a deep respect for the brave and passionate women and men who pioneered westward to expand and grow our country across the plains to the Pacific Ocean. His favorite western novelists included Larry McMurtry and Zane Grey, and he watched corny old western movies to his last day. Gary learned to ride a horse as a young boy, and he owned horses in northern Arizona and loved exploring the Tonto forest and open desert. One of his prized possessions was the saddle and long guns passed down by his grandfather who was one of those early and courageous pioneers.

The Musician: Some of Gary’s favorite songs that he sang as he played his acoustic guitar were “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys”, “The Gambler”, “Lucille”, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”, “The Little Dairy-O” and so many more. He learned to play the guitar in college using an open-chord method which was easy and fun. So many mornings and evenings he would pick up the guitar and sing with his head thrown back and eyes closed, free and without much thought as to the listener… he sang from his soul to express his joy and love. But he sounded pretty good too, and taught us all to love music.

The Head of the Herd: Our Dad and Pa was always there, always watching, always ready to bail us out of trouble and give his well-known words of advice. He would never hover, and rarely did he tell us to be careful. He was more likely to encourage bravery and daring adventure, while staying close by in case we stumbled and needed help. He taught us to work hard, dream big and go for it. But he also knew there would be failure and disappointment along the way, so he was ready with his famous words of advice: Let Your Clutch Slip. Don’t Ever Feel Guilty - Guilt is Poison to Your Soul. Remember You are a Tower of Strength. You’re Smarter than Most People. Be a Leader and Don’t get Lost in the Crowd. He always was there to square your shoulders, give you a big hug and kiss, and boost your confidence so you were ready to take on the world again.

The Spirit: Gary was a man of faith from birth to death. He was raised in the Baptist faith in early years, and then was a member of the United Methodist church with his soulmate, Sharon throughout their lifetime. But that only tells a small part of his story. He had a thirst for knowledge and exploration, and his journey of faith took him down many paths. He read the Bible along with countless other books on spirituality with varying theories and ideologies. And he shared the inner-most parts of his soul and love during family prayers and conversations. He was open-minded and thought of God as the Great Cosmos uniting us all. And now he is a part of that mysterious and wondrous space forever, and it’s an amazing blessing to feel his love and powerful spirit each day.

Gary left a lasting and positive mark on this world, and he created beautiful places and opportunities for people to share joyful experiences. Most importantly for his family and friends, Gary loved deeply, lived passionately and taught us to have fun! He showed us how to live, dream and reach higher with effort and courage. The world is a better place because of Gary Thomas Spragins, and we will look for him always as the sun rises over wide open spaces.