A visitation honoring Carolyn Marie will be held next Saturday, January 9 ^th , at her daughter Nicole's house at 6810 East Division St., Springfield, MO, 65802. All are welcome. More details are below.

---

It is with deepest bone-cracking sorrow (but blessedly few regrets) that we share that Carolyn Marie Love Sparks, aged 60, passed quietly away into the next phase of Eternity on the morning of December 24, 2020 while peacefully sleeping.

The autopsy has revealed the cause of her passing as fatal arrhythmia. This means there were no warnings, and there was absolutely no suffering. We know she did not fear death, nor would she have grieved for herself. We do recognize, however, that had she known in advance, she would have feared and grieved for us. That she was spared this earthly pain is a blessing that gives us great comfort.

Carolyn Marie was born in Springfield, Missouri on August 3 ^rd , 1960 to Martha Carolyn Spencer and Ray Wagner Love, the middle of three sisters. She attended and graduated from Greenwood High School in 1978. She graduated from SMSU in 1982, a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. Carolyn worked for Bell Savings, then Farm & Home Savings during and following college. she later worked as the church secretary at St. James Episcopal Church before becoming a stay-at-home mother and homeschool educator to her daughter.

Carolyn adored spending time with her loved ones at the family farm and lakehouse. She was very skilled with her hands, knitting beautiful garments and stuffed animals for her granddaughter, with whom she spent time nearly every day. Her journal often records the joy of spending time with "her girls," who loved their "Nana" beyond loving.

She is fondly remembered as a ray of sunshine, with a ready smile and joyful laugh, eyes that twinkled merrily, and a sly intelligence which she masked tactfully behind her extremely agreeable nature. In other words, she was our elf, our magic-maker, and the light of our lives.

Carolyn is survived by her loving husband Jerry J Sparks; only daughter and son-in-law Nicole Sparks and Aaron Wolken; granddaughter "Honey Bunny" Wendy Marie Darling and the arrival in May of a second grandchild, whom she was ecstatically anticipating; father Ray Wagner Love; sister and brother-in-law Martha and Mike Cordonnier; sister and brother-in-law Lucinda Love and Rajiv Vijayakumar; and nephews Caleb and Jacob Cordonnier. She was preceded in death by her cherished mother Martha Carolyn Spencer Love.

To say her passing comes as a shock is flimsy at best. We are wild with grief, and we understand that this will be a grief we carry with us until we are with her again. We also carry, however, her Eternal spirit in our memories: "I carry [her] heart, I carry it in my heart." The beauty and magic she taught us will continue to shine and illuminate our path as we hold every memory of her close to our hearts.

ARRANGEMENTS:

She will be laid to rest in a private graveside service this Monday, January 4 ^th . Your prayers, especially on this exceedingly difficult day, are much coveted.

A visitation will be held next Saturday, January 9 ^th , from 1-4pm at her daughter Nicole's home at 6810 East Division St., Springfield, MO 65802.

A celebration of life service will be held this spring in her "fairy field" on the family farm. If you would like to be notified as we have more details, please email your name and email address to martha.cordonnier@gmail.com .

CONDOLENCES:

So many of you have offered us help in the coming weeks; we are overwhelmed with your love and generosity during this time. The following are the ways you can help us most:

• Condolences, reflections, memories, and photos (oh, please, your words and photos!) may be emailed to carolynsparksmemories@gmail.com or mailed c/o Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 E. Seminole St., Springfield, MO 65804.
• In lieu of flowers that fade, the family is collecting memorial contributions to plant her favorite flowering trees and perennial flowers. Please contact Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home for further instructions. Alternatively, donations may be made in her name to Friends of the Zoo via Dickerson Park Zoo.