Dianne Sparks
Dianne Sparks, 70 of Grand Forks, ND passed away Sunday, March 17th, 2013 at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks.Dianne Elaine Kalmbach was born on the family farmstead near Jud, North Dakota on December 31st, 1942 to John and Ella (Drenth) Kalmbach. She graduated from Jud High School and obtained her teaching degree from Valley City Teacher’s College. Dianne moved to Wolf Point, Montana and taught on the Indian Reservation there. While living in Wolf Point, she met the love of her life, a southerner, Joe B. Sparks, Jr. who was temporarily working in Montana on a seismology crew.
- Dianne Sparks
Dianne Sparks
Dianne Sparks, 70 of Grand Forks, ND passed away Sunday, March 17th, 2013 at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks.
Dianne Elaine Kalmbach was born on the family farmstead near Jud, North Dakota on December 31st, 1942 to John and Ella (Drenth) Kalmbach. She graduated from Jud High School and obtained her teaching degree from Valley City Teacher’s College. Dianne moved to Wolf Point, Montana and taught on the Indian Reservation there. While living in Wolf Point, she met the love of her life, a southerner, Joe B. Sparks, Jr. who was temporarily working in Montana on a seismology crew.
Dianne and Joe married on April 3, 1965. The fall of that year Joe convinced Dianne to move south. Dianne was always a good sport and up for adventure. Through the years they lived in Georgia, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, Texas and finally returned to North Dakota after retirement to be active participants in the life of their only grandchild, Spenser. Joe preceded her in death on March 31, 2011.
During their marriage, Dianne and Joe were blessed with four children: Stacy, John, Justin and Chris. Dianne loved raising the kids (and keeping the peace) but was also able to enjoy a fulfilling and successful career life. She worked for many years as a specialty recruiter, eventually opening her own business in Houston, Texas, Excel Career Consultants, Inc. where she presided as President of the company. Dianne was successful in all aspects of her life because of her calm presence, quick sense of humor and genuinely loving nature. Family, friends and strangers benefited from Dianne’s non-judgmental spirit and had to only spend a few minutes with her to forever have a warm place in their heart for her.
Dianne loved to travel, laugh, spoil her family, shop, read, bake and tend her flower garden. She could resuscitate any dying plant, a skill, although not passed onto any of her four children, was demonstrated over and over when Justin and Chris would bring discarded plants home from work at the nursery.
Dianne is survived by her daughter, Stacy (Benno) Evens, Grand Forks, ND; sons, John, Houston, TX; Justin, Houston, TX; Christopher, Houston, TX; grandson, Spenser Evens, Grand Forks, ND; sisters, Vivian Biegler, Edgeley, ND; Neldamae (Joe) Schlosser, Edgeley, ND; and brother, Edgar Kalmbach, Edgeley, ND.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe B. Sparks, Jr. and her parents, John Kalmbach and Ella (Drenth) Kalmbach; brother-in-law, Herman Biegler and sister-in-law, Jeanne Kalmbach.
Mass of Christian Burial: 1:00 p.m. Friday, March 22, 2013 in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Grand Forks, ND.
Visitation: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.Thursday with a 4:30 p.m. rosary service and 7:00 p.m. vigil service in the Gregory J. Norman Funeral Chapel. Visitation will continue for one hour prior to the liturgy in the church on Friday.
Interment: Memorial Park Mausoleum, Grand Forks, ND, in the spring.
The online memorial registry may be signed at www.normanfuneral.com
(The Historic Norman Funeral Home, Grand Forks, ND)
Tags: obituaries
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