Edgar Sparks Jr.
Edgar “Ed” Cecil Sparks Jr. of Indianapolis, Indiana, died April 2, 2020.
During the unprecedented time, funeral services will be private, and a celebration of life will be held at a later date.
Mr. Sparks was born Nov. 26, 1932, on the family ranch seven miles north of Hamilton, the son of Edgar Cecil Sparks Sr. and Nora Aleen Sneed Sparks.
Ed earned his Morse Code certification at the age of 15, giving him the ability to communicate with the world in 1947.
He graduated from Hamilton High School in 1951, having been a student of Roy Santy and a member of his short-wave radio club at HHS. Mr. Santy’s guidance was principal in Ed’s getting his certification at such a young age. He introduced his online presence with the call letters, “This is W5SAC, something’s always cooking in Hamilton, Texas.”
During his high school years, he also worked at the Hamilton Herald-News as a linotype operator, where he helped publish the newspaper each week. This was well before computer-assisted publishing and required typing, proofing and mechanical skills.
Ed served in the Air Force from 1953 to 1956, training as an electronic technician and air traffic controller. He was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio; Scott AFB Illinois, Matagorda, Island, Texas; Tripoli, Libya (Africa); and Bergstrom AFB, Austin. After serving his country, Ed worked for the National Geodetic Society, travelling around the world, installing and testing seismic equipment in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and Antarctica. At Antarctica near the South Pole, he spent months setting up equipment in minus 40-degree weather.
He was a life-long reader of history books and accumulated well over 300, many of which were about the Civil War, World Wars I and II and people who were involved in those wars. He delved deep into stories of his uncle, Maj. Roy Sneed, USAF, who spent three years in Japanese prison camps in World War II and died on the “Hell” ship “Eno ra Maru.” Roy was a major influence in Ed’s life.
Ed was a consummate inventor, researching energy efficiency and developing methods to reduce energy costs. He had a passion for both local and national politics, regularly getting his op-ed pieces published in the Indianapolis Star.
As an early adopter of internet technology, he opened a computer training school in the early 1990s and continued with his son Erin to create the first organic farming network online service, Organic Options BBS.
A proud grandfather, he continually involved himself in his grandchildren’s lives, always being of assistance when his family needed him.
He was preceded in death by his parents Edgar Cecil Sparks Sr. and Nora Aleen Sneed Sparks of Hamilton.
He is survived by his wife, Ann Doreen Veronica Sparks; son Erin Sparks and wife Karen; brother Charles Ray Sparks and wife Letha; sister Nancy Irene Thompson and husband Willie; grandchildren Aidan Ripley, Maura Rayne, Zane Christopher and Lucan Gabriel; and many nieces, nephews and other family members.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation at parkinson.org.
