Dr. Jerry Reeves Sparger's Obituary
Dr. Jerry Reeves Sparger, age 79, of Germantown, Tennessee, passed away August 8, 2022, in Memphis, Tennessee. He died at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis of renal failure caused by Multiple Myeloma which he bravely battled for seven years. The family acknowledges and thanks the wonderful Baptist nursing staff who attended him during the last week of his life; the West Cancer Center staff, especially Oncologist, Dr. Jason Chandler, and Case Manager, Joy Jones. Jerry made many friends with other patients and volunteer workers on his many visits for treatment, with whom he loved to talk, and his family wishes them well. We also thank his Internist who has cared for him for many years and first diagnosed his cancer, Dr. Lynda Freeland with MDVIP.
Jerry was born on January 19, 1943, in Mt. Airy, North Carolina to the late William Nathaniel Sparger and Roxie Reeves Sparger. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by five sisters and three brothers-in-law, Carrie Sparger, Imogene Fulk (Gray), Lena Bruland (Russell), Lola Miller (Thurmond) and Audrey Sparger; one brother, John William Sparger (Peggy); father- and mother-in-law, Daniel Curtis Sechrest and Mary Welborn Sechrest; and one nephew, David Reeves Tucker.
Survivors include his loving wife of 58 years, Dona Sechrest Sparger; one devoted son, Jonathan Derek Sparger; the adopted family dog, Snugs, that Jerry loved to play with and hold him in his lap. Sandra Fulk Mosely and sons Bradley, Drew and Christopher Tucker, all of Charlotte, NC; a nephew Bing Miller (Judy) and his family, Katie Pardue (Adam) Pilot Mountain, NC; Will Miller and son, King, NC; and sister-in-law, Peggy Sparger of Mt. Airy, NC; brother-in-law Rickey Sechrest (Fran) and children, Tara Sechrest, and Rocky Sechrest (Jessikha) and children all of Siloam, NC.
Jerry earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Wake Forest University, a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Appalachian State University and his PhD in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. At an early age, he developed a special curiosity and love for words and language in general. If he ever ran across a word he didn’t know, he would immediately look it up, learn all its meaning and origin. He had a big vocabulary and loved to use it, but he observed people and instinctively knew with whom he could use it.
Having gone through ROTC at Wake Forest, he got a one-year waiver to get a Master’s degree which resulted in his being appointed as Personnel Psychologist for the first recruiting district while serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War. Career-wise, Jerry developed a strong interest in Criminology during his time at UT Knoxville. He wrote his dissertation on “Inmate Leadership”. His first job after receiving his PhD was at the maximum security Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, as a Psychologist. Later he came to the University of Memphis where he taught in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, published research, earned full professorship, and was Chair of the department for 15 years, and retired after 31 years at the University. While he was teaching, he did related part-time work, including Southeast Mental Health Center; a summer internship with the Memphis Police Department and later became MPD’s Psychological Consultant for 6 years; and did lots of expert witness testimony in court cases. He enjoyed all his positions throughout his career and helped inspire and mentor many clients, inmates and students.
Jerry’s favorite Dean described him as “a person who felt comfortable in his own skin.” Another colleague said, “He was his own person.” A friend said, “He had no pretense about him.” What you saw was what you got. All and all, he was a simple man who grew up in a close-knit family and community in Pilot Mountain, NC, on a tobacco farm. He said many times he wouldn’t have traded those years for all the riches in the world. He enjoyed playing in the woods, riding his pony with his favorite dog tagging along and he developed a life-long appreciation of nature and wildlife in general as he looked for squirrels, rabbits, and foxes, not to hurt or kill, but just to enjoy observing their behavior in their natural habitat.
Jerry loved the simple things in everyday life. Most of all he enjoyed sitting around the kitchen table, drinking coffee or diet Pepsi, smoking, talking and reading the newspaper and magazine articles on his iPad. He enjoyed watching his favorite TV news channels, especially political analysis shows, and sports, including golf, football and NASCAR racing. For many years his favorite pastime was working the NYT crossword puzzle books which further improved his vocabulary. In his earlier years, he really enjoyed singing and playing his guitar. Yes, he was very stubborn about several things that sometimes challenged his desire for simplicity. His motto was, “Life is too short to do things you don’t enjoy,” and he avoided doing so at every opportunity! He was a wonderful husband and father and was an active homebody. He lived a good life, and his family misses him sorely.
Memorial Park Funeral Home is serving the family in Memphis, TN, and Cox-Needham Funeral Home is handling arrangements for the family in Pilot Mountain, NC. A graveside service will be held September 10 at 2:00 pm at Skyline Memory Garden in Mt. Airy.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Balmoral Presbyterian Church, PO Box 17309, Memphis TN, 38107 or to the ASPCA, at secure.aspca.org or 1-888-666-2279.
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