John Carroll Sparks

Sparks, John Carroll of St.Louis, MO passed away on March 8, 2021 at the age of 77. He was born on Janaury 30, 1944 in St. Louis.

John was married to Diane (Mulrine) Sparks on September 1st, 1976 and they were married for 45 years. John owned a successful printing company, Priority Litho, with his business partner, Dave Brown, for 30 years and he worked in the printing industry for over 50 years.

John is survived by his wife, Diane, and their two daughters: Erica (Neil) Rose and Stephanie (Joseph Klostermann) Sparks. He is also survived by his daughter, Kelly (Richard Apollo) Sparks-Apollo; his four grandchildren: Olivia Apollo, Mia Rose, Jackson Rose and Effie Rose; and his two siblings: Bruce (Charlene) Sparks and Lynne (Dave) Rabbitt. He is preceded in death by his mother, Marie C. Sparks.

John, better known as Jack, was gift to this world. He was full of life; never a dull moment with him. His flare for story-telling resonated and entertained everyone he knew. Jack’s passion for basketball was no secret; you knew who his daughters were on the court and which calls by the ref he may have disagreed with.

– forever the fan of #42. He loved anything with an engine that could be driven:

“hot rods”, motorcycles, planes and RVs. His engines took him on great adventures near and far but what he loved most was his family. He was a devoted husband, loving father and wonderful grandfather. He will be greatly missed.

A celebration of life will be held for John:
Sunday, March 28th
Frontier Park at the Katy Depot, 500 S Riverside Dr. St Charles, MO 63303
Noon until 3:00 PM.
Please join us in toasting this great man.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or Parkinson’s Foundation.

6 Comments

  1. Pamela Kaemmerer on March 16, 2021 at 4:54 pm

    Diane, Erica and Stephanie,

    Our deepest condolences on your loss! May the memories carry you through this difficult time. Love and prayers to you and your family.

    Pam, Shaun and Shannon



  2. Gail Trendley on March 16, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    Dear Diane, Erica and Stephanie,

    We are so sorry to hear of your husband and dad’s passing. Is obituary devotion is so accurate. When we think of Jack we think of a man full of energy, laughter and love of his family. He will be missed in this world. Hugs and prayers to each of you. Love, Bill and Gail Trendley



  3. Duane and Candaice Kinder on March 16, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    We are so very saddened to hear of John’s passing. We will miss him at our family gatherings but may we continue to share great stories of times spent with him. We will plan on attending his services on the 28th.

    Sincerely, Duane and Candaice



  4. Gretchen Ahlquist on March 16, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    So sorry. His love, his wit, and his larger than life laughter will be sorely missed. Love to all the family
    Gretchen Ahlquist



  5. Sasha Stolz on March 16, 2021 at 9:11 pm

    Diane, Erica & Stephanie,

    I am so sorry to hear about Jack. I have so many wonderful memories of him a telling stories, making us laugh, and trying to embarrass Erica at swim meets. ???? He will be missed. I wish I could make it up to St. Louis for the service. I am training with Leukemia &Lympoma Society again and will add Jack to my racing in honor of list.

    Love,

    Sasha (Trendley) Stolz



  6. Ron Tierney on September 12, 2021 at 9:38 am

    Diane,
    I’m very sorry to hear of Jack’s passing. Jack was a great mentor for me. His talents and drive stay with me today. Many fond memories of Jack with JBruce printing, you and young Erica will always remain with me thanks to Jack and You.
    Very sorry for your loss.
    Ron Tierney



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