Lawrence R Sparks

Lawrence R Sparks, age 96, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2025, in Lacey, WA. Born in 1928 in Evanston, IL, to Lawrence and Norma Sparks, he lived in the Chicago area, then the New York City area, before joining the US Navy at age 17 in 1945. As part of the post-WWII drawdown, he was released from the Navy in 1948, finished High School, then started college at Butler University in Indianapolis using the GI Bill and an Air Force ROTC scholarship. He was called-up by the Air Force during the Korean War, commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1951, and assigned in Wichita, KS. In December 1951 he married his college sweetheart, Caryl Fisher Shaw, of Indianapolis, IN. By 1953 he was able to finish his BA degree in Political Science, and was selected for training as a Navigator. Assignments with the Air Force included Kansas, Texas, New Jersey, England, Utah, Colorado, Kansas again, Vietnam, Greece, New Mexico, and ending back in Utah, where Larry retired as a Colonel. Larry worked for the aerospace company E-Systems for over a decade, and also served as a Board member for the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah and the Hill Air Force Base Museum, helping transition it from a locally focused museum to become a major field museum of the US Air Force Museum system. It is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, one of only six accredited museums in Utah. Larry and Caryl moved to Lacey, WA, in 2014 to be closer to family.

Survivors include his wife of 73 years, Caryl, of Lacey, WA, daughter Katherine E. Roberts (Roger) of Lacey, WA, son Thomas W. Sparks (Anne) of Tumwater, WA, and two grandchildren, Christopher A. Sparks of Lee, MA, and Jennifer S. Sparks of Geneva, Switzerland. Also, his brother Richard A. Sparks of Lacey, WA, and nieces and nephews in Washington, Oregon, and California.

A memorial service will be held at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Olympia, WA, at 10:30am, Wednesday, 19 February, to be followed by a Military Interment Ceremony at Tahoma National Cemetery at 3pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah, PO Box 612, Roy, UT 84067-0612, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or to your local food bank.