Bill Sparks

William Richard Sparks

December 3, 1943  -  April 14, 2024

William Richard Sparks passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 14th, 2024.  Born December 3, 1943, he was a twin and middle child of three boys. Those Sparks boys (Art, Don and Bill) were unruly in their teen years and from racing their mom’s car on the racetrack to sneaking smokes at the ripe of age of 12, they left their parents prematurely grey and exhausted.

Bill and his twin, Don were busy socially as well. Never having a shortage of friends to hang around with and girls to chase. Bill hit the  jackpot though, when he met the 100% Norwegian, Liv Osland. Together they had a family (complete with twins of course) and built their life together. Not without its troubles, they managed to celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary together and supported each other through their senior years. Liv cared for Bill until the end.

“Billy” lived most of his life in his hometown Saskatoon and was active throughout his life in the Masonic Temple, the Scottish Rite and then Shriners. No one could drum a beat and wear a Fez like he could.  Liv and he were also active in the Scandinavian Club for many years. Now, you don’t get a Norwegian without having some smooth talking skills and charm which helped Bill snag his beloved Liv and led to his natural calling, sales. Most of his career was spent with Redhead Equipment. His life was devoted to sales. He loved the thrill of closing a deal and was happy to share tales of his wins or trials and tribulations. Those trials and tribulations included most of the RCMP knowing him due to that earlier-mentioned racing. He had a lead foot and loved to speed. The radar gun was his sworn enemy.

He travelled a lot in his province  and the communities he visited never forgot Bill. He spent many a night at a friend’s house while on the road after imbibing.

He loved spending time at the cabin at Lower Fishing Lake especially after he and his friend, Rick renovated the original log cabin. He was actively involved in the Cabin Owners Association.

He and Liv travelled to Norway together many times and his family jokingly referred to him as “the King of Norway”. He enjoyed everything that Norway had to offer. He would have resettled there if he spoken the language.

In his later years, he took up golfing until his health interrupted his ability to play. His last years were quiet which was out of character for Bill but having more lives than a cat, his lifestyle and genetics finally caught up with him.

He is survived by his eight incredible grandchildren, Connor, Nolan, Tatum, Quinn, Lauren, Thomas, Emma and Michael and his three children; James (Chelsea), Jill (Sean) and Inger (Terry), his twin, Don (Christine) and his wife, Liv Sparks.

He lived his life the way he wanted and to quote Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way”.

Thank you to all the many doctors, nurses and pharmacists who have provided wonderful care for Bill through his life’s journey as well as his many groups of friends who were always there to support him. A special thank you to Glengarda Hospice for their devoted care..