Steven (Steve) Mitchell Sparling was born on November 30, 1955 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to parents Joe W. Sparling and Virgina Sparling. Raised in Southern California, Steve was the captain of his High School wrestling team and attended Orange Coast Community College before starting his own business as a licensed contractor.
An artist, architect, and skilled builder, Steve renovated dozens of properties and built several gorgeous homes, two in which his family resided in Tustin, California and Leawood, Kansas. Perhaps one of his most ambitious and impressive building projects is a state-of-the art equestrian center (Harper Crossing Equestrian Center) on 160-acres in Peculiar, Missouri. The 40+ horse barn operates today as an elite sporting horse facility.
On March 22, 1986, Steve married Zarina Shockley after four fun-filled years of dating, traveling, and partying. The couple would go on to raise two accomplished daughters—Stephanie Sparling Williams, PhD and Shelley Sparling, DPT—and Steve would become something of a celebrity among his daughters’ friends, largely due to his laid back and friendly nature, and his knack for dealing out major defeats in pool, all while sipping scotch in his pjs. Steve is survived by his wife, his daughters, his grandchildren Kye and Jamellah Miner Williams, and his sister Rebecca Lazau.
An early collector of movies, his library boasts over 1,500 titles, impressing many and providing endless family entertainment over the years. With nearly matched enthusiasm, Steve also procured Hawaiian shirts, a veritable mainstay in his wardrobe since the 1970s. He enjoyed board games and playing cards; ever a romantic, he would often surprise his wife and family with grand and generous gestures— a horse, cars, homes for his daughters, and spontaneous gifts, hundreds of rose bouquets, and diamonds for Zarina.
Steve was passionate about his wife, Del Taco, buying and developing property, and watching his daughters excel in their education and extracurriculars. And while he preferred hanging out at home watching Harry Potter with a drink in hand, he and Zarina also enjoyed upscale cruises, throwing knock-out parties, and joining in on their daughters’ various adventures. Together, Steve and Zarina sipped tea in China, hiked Machu Picchu, cruised the Mediterranean, toured the opera houses of Austria, attended a wedding in Finland, ate their way through the Czech Republic, and listened to the glaciers melting in Alaska. They built a full and beautiful life that will now offer countless memories to those who loved and now miss him.
Please consider honoring his life by donating to support cancer research.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.apexfuneral.net for the Sparling family.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.6