William Eli " Bill" Sparks

William Eli Sparks, Papaw, was born on July 14, 1939 , in Texarkana,Arkansas. He was the only child of Bernice Franklin "Beno" Sparks and Mildred Elizabeth Cummings "Granny" Sparks. He lived his entire life in the Texarkana region, raising a family: William Donald "Donny," Michael Ronald "Ronny," and Emmalyn Ann "Emy" Sparks. Ronny married Dayla Marie Coffin and they have one child, Cash Michael. Donny married Stephanie Elkins and they have two sons, Landon Wil and Brecken Ames. Emy married David Conner and together they have four children; Tiffany Duke, Suzette Marque, Jessica Danielle and Colton Wayne. They have three grandchildren, Brooklyn Nakole Cox, Jacyee Eaves and Aryana Key.

Papaw was not afraid of work, often working from sun up to sun down. Then again, who could blame him when he had two mischievous boys at home who were putting fireworks in the their sister's Easter dress and pushing her down a hill...or giving her a broomstick and telling her to hit a hornet's nest.

His strong work ethic was a value he instilled on his children at a very early age. When the boys were six, Papaw taught them how to push mow. The handlebars were shaped like bullhorns and Donny would get on one side, Ronny on the other, and together they would have to push mow the yard. I'm not sure how many men would trust a couple of six year olds with their yard but that was Papaw. On a side note, I'm sure he kept Emy at a safe distance.

Papaw enjoyed working outside, riding the tractor, working cows, or just doing anything where he could get his hands dirty. There was never a dull moment when Papaw was there. He inherited a strong-will and stubbornness from Granny Sparks which passed directly on to his children and grandchildren. I wouldn't say that we argue, it is just that we communicate rather loudly, tend to think our way is the right way, and don't understand why others don't see it that way. I remember when I was little and we were moving hay down by the river and for some reason Papaw had this little tractor and was trying to move this rather large bail of hay. Well dad had suggested one way of picking it up but Papaw had another way in mind, which of course he did..and it didn't work. Instead of lifting the bail of hay Papaw ended up lifting the front of the tractor. I just remember dad standing there watching , saying, "it's like trying to talk to a fence post. " Meanwhile, once Papaw realized that the front tires were a good distance off the ground and the hay bail hadn't moved an inch, knew his way wasn't going to work, and dropped the tractor. He then just looked at dad, chuckled a little, like a guilty under-his -breath laugh, and tried again. That was just Papaw's way of doing things and you had to love him for it. There was never a dull moment.

When Papaw wasn't working or with his family, he was not just sitting at home, you could almost always bet he was keeping the roads hot going somewhere and doing something. Be it watching Dad and Uncle Ronny rodeo, riding four-wheelers, or just visiting with friends; Papaw would be there...But not for long. Papaw was the type to arrive early and leave first. On countless occasions, I can hear one of us saying, " Where ya going?" To which Papaw would always reply, "I'm outta here. " One year at Christmas, we had just finished unwrapping gifts and before the paper had even been picked up, Papaw was ready to go. He got in his truck and backed right into the ditch in front of our house. He just casually got out of his truck, looked at it in the ditch, looked at all of us and chuckled. We hooked up the truck, got it out of the ditch, turned it around for him,told him he needed to slow down, and he was off again.

If you were around Papaw much you know he had quite a few funny sayings. Cash remembers these; When he would find a penny on the ground he'd say, "Takes a penny to make a dollar". Another one was "That's hot! H-E-A-T" and "Hells bells and puppy dogs tails" or " 'crap' and 3 is 8 and 4 is 12 " ( still don't know what that one meant ). Emy recalls a couple. One is " 'crap' -happens " (which was his favorite) and "Whatever blows your dress up ", which is what Papaw told David when he asked if he could marry Emy.

It is only appropriate that I keep this short, I'm sure by now Papaw would be ready to go or halfway to the truck in the parking lot. That is how it was in the end as well, when it was his time to go, he was "outta here. " He went to be with Papaw Beno, Granny Sparks, and Jesse on October 31, 2015 where I'm sure he was greeted with open arms, free from pain , a big can of snuff and something sweet to eat. So this Wednesday night he'll be having choir practice with his buddy Morris and the angels.

-Landon Wil

The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2015 at East Funeral Home-Moores Lane.

Graveside services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 3, 2015 at Northwood Cemetery with Charlie Moulton and Dr. Cheryl Bourne officiating.

Serving at Honorary Pallbearers are Mike Akin, Lynn Crumpton, Mike Murphy, Charlie Moulton, Wade Sharp, Greg Conley and Bubba Moreland.

Services are under the direction of East Funeral Home-Moores Lane.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Northwood Cemetery Fund, 5800 Richmond Road, Texarkana,Texas 75503

Online tributes may be submitted to www.eastfuneralhomes.com