Jon Sparling Sr.

The Honorable Jon Sparling passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Dallas on August 23, 2014, after a brief illness. He was born to The Reverend Jack and Vera Moseley Sparling on April 19, 1941, in Alvin, Texas. He grew up a handsome, intelligent, fun-loving boy, and graduated from Lamar High School in Houston, Southern Methodist University in Dallas where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and the S.M.U. Dedman School of Law. He fell in love with Dallas and made it his home. Mr. Sparling was a skilled lawyer in the District Attorney’s office in Dallas County where he was founder and chief of the specialized crime division, organized to fight white-collar crime. He also distinguished himself as a judge on the Texas Court of Appeals. He concluded his career in private practice as a commercial litigator with Sparling and Zadina Law Firm, but he liked to say that working in the District Attorney’s office was the best job he ever had. Jon was an avid traveler, fascinated by foreign cultures and unique experiences, but Dallas, Texas was undoubtedly his home. He enjoyed being on and below the water, and he always had a sailboat in his life. He built, and loved spending time at, his lake house, and found value raising cattle and working the land on a family farm near Corsicana. Jon was born into a long line of Methodist ministers and as an adult he was a member of University Park United Methodist Church. Without a doubt, his greatest joy was his family and raising his children whom he loved with everything. He leaves behind to mourn him his four children, Jon Jr. and wife Sarah, William, David, and Sarah, the mother of his children Helena Underwood Sparling, his sister Patty and husband Dr. Duane Andrews, two nieces and their husbands and children, and Terri Loney, his good friend who loved and cared for him in the final years. A memorial service will be conducted at University Park United Methodist Church, 402 Caruth Boulevard in Dallas on August 28, 2014 at 4:00 pm by his niece the Reverend Dr. Allison Andrews Thompson. A graveside service will be held by his niece The Reverend Susan Andrews Hageman at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler on Thursday, August 28, 2014 at 10:00 AM, where he will be buried with his parents under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to SMU Dedman School of Law, Att: Janet White, P O Box 750116, Dallas, Texas 75275-0116, or to University Park United Methodist Church, 4024 Caruth Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75225.

Jon Sparling Sr.

April 19, 1941 - August 23, 2014