Readership Institute: Obituary Best Practices Gallery: Patricia Sparks

Web version of Arizona Republic feature "A Life Remembered"

Patricia Sparks, cyclist, runner, gave life her all
By Connie Cone Sexton, The Arizona Republic, March 3, 2002

When Peoria resident Patricia Sparks died Feb. 16 in a bicycle accident, she was doing what she did best: Living life to the fullest.

She had been filled with exuberance that day and a bit of spunk, outpacing her husband, Lyle Langlois, as they rode in a bike tour of Vietnam. The physically fit couple, both experienced cyclists and marathon runners, were on a seven-week vacation at the time of the accident.

"She had been having so much fun on our trip and she just got ahead of me that day of the ride," Langlois said.

A motor scooter struck Sparks from behind and sent her flying off her bike. By the time Langlois arrived at her side, she was unconscious.

Although she had been wearing a helmet, she suffered a skull fracture. She was taken to a primitive hospital and had brain surgery, then was flown to Singapore for further treatment. She didn't survive. Sparks was 73.

Their marriage came late in life, so they cherished each month. Sparks and Langlois, wed Dec. 13, 1997, had just celebrated a "50th anniversary."

"We did more in 50 months than most people do in their whole lifetime," said Langlois, 71.

It had been the second marriage for both. Each had lost a spouse after more than 40 years together.

"When she married Lyle, he gave her wings," Holly McLean said of her grandmother.

McLean was happy to see her grandmother smile like the old days, when all the grandkids would gather on the family farm in Indiana.

"She would let us do anything we wanted, like make ice cream or pick strawberries," McLean said. "We'd say, 'Granny, let's so swimming,' and she'd be ready. She was the neatest adult. She was cool."

Marilyn Shorts said her mother had an enviable zest for living. "She lived every day to the fullest and encouraged us all to do the same."

Sparks almost didn't take her own advice when Langlois proposed atop one of the Valley peaks they frequently hiked. Marriage? In their late 60s?

Yet Sparks couldn't ignore a newfound love or dismiss the 65 points of compatibility Langlois listed, including that both were Christian, wore the same size running shoes and neither wanted a dog or a cat.

Langlois said the two were a perfect fit: adventurous, intelligent and cut from the same Midwest cloth.

Both also were educators. From 1990 to 2000, Sparks was a faculty associate at Arizona State University West supervising student teachers. Langlois was a longtime computer science instructor at Glendale Community College.

Even with his own deep well of energy and ever-present smile, Langlois marveled at his wife's vivacious spirit and attack on life.

Kind and gracious, she could always make time for friends and family, but staying true to her commitment to exercise and to learn new things.

Sparks was an "up and at 'em at before dawn" kind of woman. It wasn't unusual to find her baking bread in the kitchen at 5 before the couple's morning run.

She was a good cook and planned for visits from grandkids, keeping cookie dough ready in the freezer.

Sparks and Langlois were often on the go, following schedules of biking or running a Generation X'er would find grueling.

They ran a marathon around the Sea of Galilee on their honeymoon and biked across the United States three times, taking a different 3,000-mile-plus route each trip. Both traveled the world to run or bike.

They cheered each other on in different marathons. In 2000, Sparks won in her age group in the Ascent of Pikes Peak in Colorado, breaking a 10-year record by 20 minutes.

That same year, Langlois ran in Vermont, completing his goal of running in a marathon in all 50 states. Their endurance was inspirational to family members and strangers.

Sparks overcame obstacles at an early age. Her family had been tenant farmers in Indiana, often moving from farm to farm on short notice. The family was poor and some days young Pat had only a crust of bread for lunch.

She married Keith Sparks in 1945 and the couple had four children. They farmed, had a dairy barn and cattle but Sparks had to clean houses to make ends meet.

After one frustrating day when a housewife drank beer while yelling instructions, Sparks told her husband she was finished with cleaning other people's houses.

Her father came to the rescue and paid her way to college. The decision brought a few clucks from other farm women who questioned her plan to get an education.

Sparks persevered. By 1955, she was making a 100-mile round-trip from the farm to attend Ball State University in Muncie. Four years later, she had her degree in education.

She taught school, became a principal and high school dean. She went on to get her master's degree and doctorate and became an accomplished and well-respected educator.

Langlois said his wife never gave up on following her dreams. At times, however, she needed to pace herself.

He laughed and held up a small jar sitting on their kitchen counter that he had given her as a gift. It was marked "patience."

He didn't want her to take too many doses. "She was on a spiritual journey in life and had too much to do," he said.

Services for Sparks are scheduled for 2 p.m. today at Foothills Christian Church, 3951 W. Happy Valley Road in Glendale.

Survivors include her husband, Lyle Langlois; daughters Jacque Giblin, Judy Koontz and Marilyn Shorts; son, Wally Sparks; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

A Life Remembered celebrates the lives of interesting people in Arizona who have recently passed away. To suggest someone, call Connie Cone Sexton at (602) 444-8894 or e-mail remembered@arizonarepublic.com