Martha Jane Sparks was born on September 18, 1929 and passed away on Friday, April 17, 2015. Mrs. Sparks, daughter of the late Ruby and Claude Harris Bell, was a life-long resident of Dothan. She graduated from Dothan High School, attended Brenau College in Gainesville, Georgia and graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. She taught school in Dothan several years prior to her marriage to James H. Sparks who died in 1991.

Mrs. Sparks was a member of the First Baptist Church where she taught Sunday school most of her adult life. She served on the Houston Love Memorial Library Board for twenty years and was the first board member to serve as chairman of the Alabama Library Association.

She was a member of the Woman’s Literary Club, Cherokee Garden Club and the Dothan Country Club most of her adult life. Mrs. Sparks owned Social Engravers, a gift and stationery shop for eight years. For the last fifteen years Mrs. Sparks worked with Dothan City Schools serving as a Library Aide at Beverlye Middle School and a Teaching Assistant at Northview High School up until February of this year.

Mrs. Sparks is survived by her two daughters, Stacey Berger of Jacksonville, Florida (Barron Berger) and Jane Grosse of Charlotte, North Carolina (Frederick Grosse), two granddaughters, Emily Jane and Laura Peyton and two grandsons, Fraser Carlyle and Harris Bagwell.

The worship service to celebrate the life of Mrs. Sparks will be held on Friday, April 24 at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Dothan with Dr. Johnny Fain officiating and graveside service following at Memory Hill Cemetery with Kendall Glover directing. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. at the church. The family suggests that memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Dothan or the Wiregrass Humane Society.

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