John Richard Sparks

On Friday, February 23, 2024, around 2:00 p.m., the Lord called John Richard to Heaven from his earthly home with his wife Cheryl (Cheri) Denise Turner Sparks at his side and son John Richard (J. Rich) Sparks II on speaker phone. In life, John Richard’s family had held tight to Ecclesiastes 4:12, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken…” But, God was in control and knew it was time for John Richard to be relieved of the pain and weakness of the human body giving him his wings.

John Richard was born to William Eugene “Bub” Sparks and Georgia O’Nell Thompson on December 17, 1952, in Hereford, Texas. Bub and Georgia were wonderful parents. Bub and Georgia had four sons, Gene, John Richard, and twins Jerry and Terry. John Richard was raised to work, having paper routes, and working at the fruit market in elementary school, and helping at Consumers Fuel Co-Op where Bub was the manager. Georgia made sure the boys were at the First Baptist Church whenever the doors were open, with John Richard participating in the choir, youth activities and playing on the Royal Ambassador Crusaders baseball team. He had loving family members who rounded out the circle of expectation to do what was right with a host of family friends who shared in that upbringing and accountability.

John Richard often mentioned that more than one adult had helped raise him as a child in the Texas Panhandle City of Hereford where he attended public schools. School/books were not his favorite pastime but sports, art, friends, and lots of girl friends were. He played football, baseball, and basketball, also participating in student government. Upon graduation in 1971, he attended West Texas A&M on a scholarship in the fall of 1971, majoring in Commercial Art. The need and desire to start working would land him in Lubbock, Texas, in 1972 where he eventually got a job with Pioneer Natural Gas Company, transferring to Amarillo in 1974. He became a crew boss, obtaining a pipeline welding certificate. At the age of 22, his crew maintained distribution lines and gathering systems from Amarillo to Dalhart, Texas.

In the fall of 1971, one of his best girl friends from high school would introduce him via stories to his future wife, Cheri Turner from Big Spring, Texas, the daughter of C.D. and Ruby Helen Turner and sister of Gary and Jay. John Richard and Cheri would not meet until the summer of 1973 and would start dating in the fall of 1974. They were married on September 20, 1975, living in Amarillo for seven months. Cheri had to get back to her roots in Big Spring and John Richard was ready and willing, becoming a Howard County resident for the next 48 years. John Richard and Cheri loved to dance together and kept dancing at life for their entire 48 years, or 50 years from the time they met.

Upon moving to Howard County, John Richard went to work for his father-in-law in his business, Howard Oil Company. Coming from the farmlands of Hereford to the oil fields of West Texas, he had a rude awakening. He assisted with the operation and maintenance of oil leases located in Howard County to include drilling new oil wells. He also bought and sold oil field tubing and casing.

John Richard would venture out on his own in 1981 and start his own business called JRS Enterprises. As part of that, he owned and operated oil field hydrostatic pipe testing equipment used in the oil industry, testing and storing tubing and casing for different oil companies. He also started a lawn service in 1982, called Lawn Concepts of the Crossroads. He did landscape contracting, landscape design, and landscape maintenance, working on several commercial projects in Big Spring. In both entrepreneurial ventures, he was employing several young men and teaching them about hard work. John Richard loved to work and was strong as an ox. During this time, he acquired continuing education training in Drafting and Computer Aided Drafting, Turf Management, and Irrigation Systems. He was a Texas Certified Master Gardener. His oil field business would be impacted by the downturn in the oil business resulting in the decision to close that one. Due to borrowing sizable amounts of money from State National Bank to start and maintain his oilfield business, he paid on that note for decades due to the goodwill of State National Bank, eventually paying it off. That was one of his happiest days. However, he kept the landscape business going, while creating his own landscape masterpiece at his home through the years.

John Richard was always about family. He had a gift from God for kids. John Richard (J. Rich) Sparks II would be born on June 28, 1987, and John Richard and Cheri wrapped their lives around him. Although he said he would never coach his own kid, his devotion to his son would change all of that. They played catch nearly every day. He was a Little League Baseball Coach for eight years, All-Star Coach for four years, Vice-President and then President of the National Little League. He was also a YMCA basketball coach for four years. He was on the Board of Trustees for St. Mary’s Episcopal School where J. Rich attended. When J. Rich started junior high, he served as the Treasurer and President of the Big Spring Parents Teacher Association (PTO). As J. Rich grew up and continued sports at Big Spring High School, John Richard would coach Football 7-on-7 and the baseball summer travel team. He was the Vice-President and eventually President of the BSHS Quarterback Club and Baseball Boosters during his high school years. John Richard was also involved in the construction and fundraising of Kids Zone in 1996.

When John Richard and Cheri moved to Big Spring in 1976, they immediately joined the congregation of 14th and Main Church of Christ where Cheri had grown up. The congregation would take them in and so many of the strong Christian men and women would mentor them. As a project of the church, John Richard would be the founding president of the Haven House which provided housing for spouses of hospitalized veterans. As a couple, they were Sunday School Teachers for J. Rich’s class beginning as a baby up until junior high. He would also serve temporarily as a Director for Youth and a VBS Teacher and Co-Director. Eventually, John Richard would become a deacon of the church and then an elder.

John Richard earned his Associate of Science Degree in business from Howard College in 1991 and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Lubbock Christian University in Organizational Management in 2004 and was on the Dean’s List. During this time, he started substitute teaching for Big Spring High School and would eventually become a teacher, teaching Special Ed. He was immediately asked to coach the junior high football team and assist with softball. He also coached volleyball and was eventually equipment manager for the Steers and Head Softball Coach. He absolutely loved all those kids. He lovingly coined the term “The Softball Mile” which was not loved by the softball girls. There was then an opportunity in 2014 to become the Director of Facilities and Maintenance for the Big Spring ISD. He mourned leaving the softball girls and thought he could do both, but facilities, buses and bad weather have their own timelines. It was a job that combined all the things he had done and loved in his life.

J. Rich would bring their prayed for daughter-in-love into their lives when he married Sarah Catherine Gunset on September 5, 2015. Already getting practice with his GrandDog Champ, J. Rich’s Blue Heeler, J. Rich and Sarah would bring two long-awaited grandchildren with the births of Jenson Riker Sparks on June 30, 2020, and Lindley Cate Sparks on July 10, 2022. He had a new name and a new purpose as Gramps. Just as he was a wonderful Dad, he was a wonderful Gramps and was just getting started before getting diagnosed with melanoma on January 1, 2024, after battling heart issues over the last 15 years from a congenital birth defect that surfaced late in his life.

John Richard was also a member of the Big Spring Rotary Club in his younger days and the Board of Directors of the Dora Roberts Rehab Center, serving as the Summerfest Chairman when the July 4th fireworks started. Always a supporter of anything Cheri was involved in, he also was the president of the Howard College Hawks Club and followed Howard College sports all over the area and country. He was so involved in activities at Howard College before J. Rich came along, people thought he worked for Howard College.

John Richard is survived by his forever love and wife, Cheri, beloved son J. Rich and daughter-in-love, Sarah plus adored grandchildren Jenson, Lindley and GrandDog Champ, his Dad, his brother Jerry (Cindy) and their kids and families, Gene’s wife (Ann) and their kids and families, Terry’s forever love (Connie) and his brother-in-law Gary’s children and wife (Ronda) children and their families, brother-in-law Jay (Laura) and their child and family, numerous family members and friends in Hereford and life-time friends of the Turner family, Cruz and Mary Rodriguez plus Sarah’s family members. He treasured his church family, work family through the years. the softball girls and their families, and all the kids he coached or neighborhood kids he helped raise. Going before him were his Mom, brothers Gene and Terry, grandparents and aunts, both parents-in-law, brother-in-law Gary, and previous sister-in-law Ann, grandparents and aunts and uncles plus many family friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates memorials to the 14th & Main Church of Christ Youth Fund, Howard College Endowed Scholarships (C.D. and Ruby Helen Turner; Gary and Ronda Turner; John Richard and Cheri Sparks Family Inspiration Fund; Matthew Garrett Turner 50th Birthday) and The W.E. and Georgia Sparks Family endowed scholarship for the Hereford campus of Amarillo College.

The family would like to thank the church, the Big Spring ISD and Howard College for their support as well as the many doctors and nurses over the last 15 years at Covenant Hospital, Scenic Mountain Medical Center (ER Doctors and Nurses, Dr. Haddad, Nurse Practitioner Brandi Webb) and in the final moments, EMS of Big Spring.

As John Richard always said, “God didn’t promise us that life would be easy, but He did promise us that life would be worth it.” His favorite Bible verse was 1 Corinthians 13:13 which says “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home. Online condolences can be made at www.npwelch.com

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