Betty Sparks

Betty Louise Smith Sparks, 80, of Uvalde and formerly of Shafter, passed away at her residence on Tuesday, June 14, 2011, following a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. A third generation native of Uvalde, she was born March 22, 1931, in Uvalde to Estalee Bates Smith and Jesse Cummings Smith. She married John Travis Sparks on July 3, 1948 in Uvalde.
She was a graduate of Uvalde High School, Southwest Texas Junior College, and held B. S. and M. A. degrees from Sul Ross State University. She taught high school English for 26 years in the west Texas school districts of Van Horn, Balmorhea, and Presidio. During many of those years her column Kitchen Philosopher appeared in the Van Horn Advocate, The Marfa Independent and The Presidio Paper.
Upon retirement to the Uvalde area, she became a columnist with the Uvalde Leader News. Her regular column Uvalde Now and Then highlighted her perspective of memorable places, events, and people from Uvalde. Also, she compiled the Remember When column. She was a published author and an adjunct English instructor at SWTJC. In 2006 she published Uvalde: Now and Then, a collection of newspaper columns and prose about her Texas heritage.
In addition, she was active in many local clubs and organizations. These included the El Progreso Club, Uvalde Retired Teachers, Southwest Texas Genealogical Society, AARP, Uvalde Honey Bees Square Dance Club, Uvalde Activity Center water aerobics, and the Blewett Project.
She was a member of St. Philips Episcopal Church, Uvalde, and was an ordained deacon through the Rio Grande Diocese of the Episcopal Church.
Survivors include three daughters and their husbands, Teloa and Larry Swinnea of Shafter, Terri and Vick Tucker of Uvalde, Trava and Kelly Baker of Marfa three sons and their wives, John C. and LaJuan Sparks of San Angelo, Travis and Lisa Sparks of Tyler, and Jay and Yvonne Sparks of Alexandria, Virginia 21 grandchildren 28 great grandchildren one sister, Janice Prickett Blackstone 3 nieces, a nephew, aunt Henrietta Peaches Pike and husband James, and numerous cousins. She was preceded in death by two infant sisters, her parents, her husband in 1995, and a grandson, Vic Leon Tucker.
Family visitation will take place on Thursday from 6:009:00 p.m. at Rushing Estes Knowles Mortuary in Uvalde. The Reverend Mike Marsh will officiate at a memorial service on Friday at 10:00 a.m. at Rushing Estes Knowles. Interment will follow in the family cemetery, J.A. Sparks Memorial, at Cline.
Pall bearers will be grandsons Matthew Swinnea, Luke Swinnea, Shawn Tucker, Dr. Eric Sparks, Wade Sparks, and Allen Jay Sparks. Honorary pallbearers are Thad and Spence Sparks.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to the Vic Leon Tucker Memorial Scholarship, Southwest Texas Junior College, Attn: Business Office, 2401 Garner Field Road, Uvalde, Texas 78801.
Services are entrusted to Rushing Estes Knowles Mortuary of Uvalde.

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