Lutheran Collier Hospice Center in Wheatridge, Colorado. He was born June 25, 1935, in Maryville, Missouri to the late William Clyde Sparks and Virginia Frances Sparks Warehime.
As a young boy, he was known to family and friends as Bobby Joe. Bobby Joe grew up in the town of Maryville, Missouri. As a child and youth, he spent some of his happiest times on his grandparent’s farm in Gaynor, Missouri. As he got older, he often worked the farm alongside his grandfather Willie Sparks. Through high school, he worked at Maryville Drugstore as a soda jerk. He attended Maryville High School and graduated in 1953.
After high school graduation, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas for basic training. After additional schooling, he was sent to Tokyo, Japan. Upon arrival in Japan, he met the lovely Kiyoko Saito who worked on the army base. After his first date with Kiyoko, he proclaimed to his army buddies that he was going to “marry that girl”. He and Kiyoko spent many of their dates in local coffee shops getting to know one another better, he with his English-Japanese dictionary and she with her Japanese-English dictionary.
After a year of dating, they were married. The following year, their first child Nina was born. Two months later, Bob, Kiyoko, and Nina left Japan and moved to the United States. Bob then attended the University of Missouri where he studied marketing. While there, their son Tad was born. After graduation, the family moved to Colorado where they welcomed their third child, Tasha.
For the next 60 years, Bob and Kiyoko lived in Boulder, Colorado, and surrounding areas.
Bob had several jobs he enjoyed but his last job was his favorite, driving a semi-truck for Overnite Transportation. During his retirement, he enjoyed woodworking, solving sudoku puzzles, and spending time with his wife and their family.
In addition to his parents, Bob was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Kiyoko Sparks, his brother William Sparks, and his son-in-law David Garfield. He is survived by his sister, Merla Findley (Bill), sister-in-law Sarah Sparks, and his three children, Nina Garfield, Tad Sparks (Gail), and Tasha Sparks, 8 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
Our grateful appreciation to friends and family, all the nurses and doctors, for their exceptional care and support extended to our father and family. At this time there are no plans for a memorial service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Bob’s name to the hospice of your choice.
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