Barbara Sparks

Barbara Carol Moyer Sparks passed away peacefully at The Crossings Nursing Home on Aug. 3, 2017. She was born on Jan. 5, 1925, to parents Burton & Ethel Frey Moyer in Sherrill, N.Y. Barbara graduated from Sherrill High School in 1942 and Central City Business Institute in 1943, and became a secretary at New York State Police Troop D barracks in Oneida. She met Kenneth Sparks in 1945 while he was home on leave from the battleship, USS New York, and they were married on Dec 28, 1946. They lived in Dewitt, Oneida, New City and settled in Cazenovia after purchasing Wilcox Paper Company.
Barbara was a Charter member of CAVAC, a member of St Peter’s Episcopal Church, Altar Guild, Cazenovia Golf Club, The Towpath Quilt Guild, The Red Hat Society, and worked at The Key consignment shop for many years. She and Ken co-hosted five USSNY reunions that included many shipmates and their families. They also visited all 50 states, Mexico, Europe and several Caribbean islands via cruise ships. Her father once said, “She was born with her suitcase packed.”
Besides her parents, she was pre-deceased by her husband Ken, her brother, Bob, and son, Ralph. Surviving are daughter in law Elise; sons, Warren, David (PJ) and Brian (Christine), grandsons, Douglas, Jason, Erich, Andrew and Benjamin and great-grandchildren, Keagan and Trevor.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 15, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Cazenovia with a reception to follow in the fellowship hall of the church. There will be no calling hours as Barbara has donated her body to the Upstate University Medical School. Her cremains will be interred in St Peter’s Columbarium at a later date.
Donations in her memory may be made to St Peter’s Episcopal Church, 10 Mill St., Cazenovia NY 13035 to be used for their Altar Guild and Capital Campaign Fund. To leave a message of sympathy for the Sparks family, please visit michaelebrownfuneralservices.com.