Jerry Michael Sparks, 72, of Spindale, NC, passed away peacefully July 18, 2013, after a brave fight with Alzheimer’s disease. His family will receive friends on Monday, July 29, at 10:00 AM at the chapel of Crowe’s Mortuary in Rutherfordton, NC, followed by a memorial service at 11:00 AM. A graveside service will be held at The Southern Baptist Church of Ruth, NC, immediately after the memorial; he was a faithful member of that congregation his entire life. Jerry was born April 23, 1941, in Rutherfordton, the son of the late John Hayden Sparks and Leon Cole Sparks. He was a graduate of Rutherfordton-Spindale Central High School and the Advanced Driver Training Academy at North Carolina State University. An avid fisherman and collector of unusual matchbook covers the world over, Jerry was a life-long and devoted fan of NASCAR, as well as the LSU Bengal Tigers. Throughout his life, Jerry never knew a stranger, was a man with a generous and kind heart, and he gave and gained great strength from his family and scores of friends. Many of those friends were his fellow over-the-road drivers from 38 years in that profession, having driven 9 years at Royster Oil Company in Shelby, NC, and 29 years for Overnight Transportation in Gaffney, S.C. He retired from Overnight in October of 2004. Jerry is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 42 years, Ann Saine Sparks; his brother, Dr. Joe Edward Sparks and wife Gail of Huntsville, AL; sisters-in-law Mary Thompson (Lafayette) of Asheville, NC, and Evelyn Sparks of Anderson, SC; nieces Sara Sparks Van Asch (Fraser) of Raleigh, NC, Anna Dunn Sparks of Chapel Hill, NC, nephew Charles Hayden Sparks of Raleigh, NC, and their mother, Sara Scott Dunn Sparks of Raleigh, NC; niece Heather McKoy Porch (Jason) of Huntsville, AL, and nephew Lance McKoy (Laura) of Colleyville, TX; nieces Cynthia Allison (Michael) of Greenville, SC, and Nancy Jennings (Thad) of Chapel Hill, NC, and nephew David Keith Thompson (Linda) of Pensacola, FL; and very dear first cousins Rev. Robert Sparks (Virginia) of Tarboro, NC, and Evelyn Krause Moss (Dr. Zeb) of Aberdeen, NC; and several grandnieces and grandnephews. Memorial contributions may be made to The Alzheimer’s Foundation; the Christian Life Center of Southern Baptist Church of Ruth, NC; Hospice of Rutherford County, NC; or the Rutherford Regional Medical Center Foundation, Rutherfordton, NC.