Mr. Robert Milo Sparks

Robert Milo Sparks, centenarian, World War II veteran, business executive, and beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed away of natural causes in Alpharetta, Georgia on December 5, 2016.

Seven weeks earlier, he celebrated his 100th birthday in the company of family and friends.

Robert was the oldest of four children born to Roy and Lulu Sparks. He grew up on the family farm near Braddock, North Dakota. He joined the United States Army in early 1943 and was accepted into Officer Candidate School. At the time of his honorable discharge in 1946, he had risen to the rank of First Lieutenant and was awarded the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the American Defense Service Medal. Although his service during the war was focused on Defense Logistics, Robert also distinguished himself as the premier marksman of his OCS class. Robert remained in the Army Reserve well into the 1950s, attaining the rank of Captain.

While stationed at Ft. Douglas in Ogden, Utah during World War II, he met and married Betty Lu Herbert. He attended the University of Utah and Stanford University, graduating from Stanford in 1948. Robert and Betty returned to the upper Midwest to raise their three children while Robert pursued a career in the building materials industry. Most of their adult lives were spent as residents of North Oaks, Minnesota. Robert retired as President of the Reserve Supply Company in the early 1980s. For several more years, he enjoyed working in advertising sales for a trade publication. He served as President of his Rotary chapter and while in retirement volunteered for the Minnesota Senior Federation. Robert and Betty’s marriage spanned more than six decades, until Betty’s death in 2007.

Robert Milo Sparks is survived by three children, Robert D. Sparks (Katie), William J. Sparks (Alyse), and Christine L. Sparks; four grandchildren, Michelle (Mo) Ponnudurai, Andrew Sparks (Janet), Emily Martin (Kyle), and Evan Sparks (Katherine); and seven great-grandchildren, Sydney Perez, Bailey Martin, Walker Martin, Hudson Martin, Nico Sparks, Charlotte Sparks, and Milo Sparks.

Mr. Sparks will be interred with Military Honors alongside Betty at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Robert’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).