Wayne Sparks

April 26, 1935 - April 29, 2020

Virgil Wayne Sparks, 85, of New London, North Carolina, died Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at the Saturn Healthcare – W Sugar Creek Campus in Charlotte. Wayne, as he was more commonly called, was born in Spruce Pine, NC, on April 26, 1935, the son of Milton “Preacher” and Mabel Brinkley Sparks. He grew up in Spruce Pine and enjoyed playing sports during his high school career. He was also very outgoing, being voted “Most Popular” his Junior and Senior years. Wayne not only enjoyed sports, he was also very intelligent and graduated near the top of his class. After high school, he enjoyed playing fast pitch softball, and Wayne was a talented pitcher. Three championships later for the American Thread softball team where Wayne worked, it was surmised that one of the reasons he got the job there was because of his anticipated contributions to the company softball team. He met and married the mother of his four children, Sybil Seagle, and they moved to Connecticut. They eventually decided to move back to North Carolina and Wayne packed up, moved to Charlotte, and found a job within a day. Wayne went on to work for Mitchell Distributing, a provider of mining equipment. To this day, nobody is really sure where the heavy machinery came from when building his house, but they have a good idea. He could even transplant Dogwood trees with it. Wayne’s intelligence and personality led him to wear many hats for Mitchell. From engineering to sales to on-site delivery and setup, Wayne was involved in most facets of the operation. Wayne could tell how things worked one time, and you never needed to be told again. He also had a very dry sense of humor. Wayne and Sybil eventually divorced in 1981 and she preceded him in death in 2017. On December 30, 1991, Wayne married Saundra Kendall in York, South Carolina. When not working, Wayne enjoyed fishing, golfing, basketball (which along with softball, he continued to play at Robinson Presbyterian Church until he was 55 and decided that the “kids” where a bit rougher and he didn’t heal as fast anymore), corn hole, shooting pool, cards and most recently, competing in the Horseshoe Tournaments at Baden Lake. He also enjoyed his favorite beverages: water, coffee, beer and ‘shine. Surely there was a pot of coffee waiting for him at the Gates of Heaven because Wayne would drink coffee from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed. Most of all, Wayne loved time spent with family and friends. From dealing with people at work to joining the Masonic Lodge to his church family, Wayne was most at home around others. His dry humor, intelligence, quick wit and constant activity were a blessing to those he knew. Wayne is survived by his wife, Saundra; his three children: Jeffrey Wayne Sparks, Richard Alan (fiancé Kelly) Sparks, and Kristen Michele Sparks; two stepchildren: Doug (Lisa) Henry and Cindy (Richard) Elmore; a sister, Beverly (John) Butler; a grandson, Thomas Dale (Courtney) Belk; a niece, Robin (Dane) Garrett; and an aunt, Maxine Sparks. He is further survived by his cousin, Terry (Jan) Sparks as well as numerous other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kim Sparks Belk on May 30, 2014. Wayne’s family has given the family of Lowe-Neddo Funeral Home the privilege of caring for them and for him. A gathering of friends and family at 1 pm followed by a service to celebrate the life, love and blessing of Wayne at 2 pm will be Saturday, May 9, 2020, at the funeral home, 4715 Margaret Wallace Road, Matthews, NC 28105. To share photos, memories and condolences, please visit Wayne’s online memorial at www.LoweNeddoFuneralHome.com or call 704-545-3553 for more details.