Avos “Colleen” Sparks, longtime Tulsa resident, passed from this life on Friday, April 15, 2016, in Owasso. Colleen was born August 25, 1930, in Okemah, Oklahoma, to Ernest and Nancy (Dowdy) Frazier. She was raised and received her education mostly in Bristow, except for a short time when the family lived in Newport Beach, California, during World War II. Colleen graduated from Bristow High School in 1948. On April 28, 1950, she was united in marriage to Loyal “Jack” Sparks in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. To this union, four children were born. They made their home in Bristow until they moved to California in 1952. In 1956, they returned to Oklahoma, first living in Muskogee then settling in Tulsa. Besides being a housewife, Colleen sold Avon and worked for Dillard’s before starting her career as the co-owner and office manager for Autopilots Central, Inc. She enjoyed reading, tending her flower garden and collecting stamps. Her family enjoyed her cooking, and Colleen toiled many hours to entertain their large extended family. Colleen was proud of the fact that she had a student pilot’s license and several hours in solo flight, and would tell anyone who would listen about her Cessna 150. Her husband Jack died in September of 1992, just prior to the creation of Sparks Aviation Center where Colleen extended her duties of accounting and administration.
Those that survive and hold many cherished memories include her children Alan Sparks and wife Susan, Barry Sparks and wife Debbie, and Judy Chezem and husband Robert, all of Owasso; sister Dorothy Miller of Coweta, Oklahoma; seven grandchildren; 15 great grandchildren; and her extended family of employees for Autopilots Central. Besides her husband, Colleen was preceded in death by her parents; son, Ricky Linn Sparks; and brother, Fred Frazier.
There will be a time of viewing and fellowship with the family on the evening of April 18, 2016, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Mowery Funeral Service, Owasso. Funeral services will be Tuesday, April 19, 2016, in the chapel of Mowery Funeral Service at 10:00 a.m. Colleen will be laid to rest next to her husband in the Magnolia Gardens Cemetery in Bristow, OK. Arrangements and services have been entrusted to Mowery Funeral Service of Owasso. www.moweryfs.com
