ROGERS — Ms. Bobbie D. Stephens Sparkman was born November 24, 1932 in Pine Bluff, Ark., to J.R. Stephens and Elmarie Carey Stephens.
She graduated from Watson Chapel High School in Pine Bluff, Ark., in 1950 as salutatorian of her class. She was also active in sports, a cheerleader, and played basketball. In her senior year, she was selected as homecoming queen and F.F.A. sweetheart, and featured in the yearbook as a beauty.
She attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., where she met her future husband, Al Sparkman, who was deceased in 2015. While a student at Ouachita, she was selected as one of the beauties for the yearbook, selected by company B of the R.O.T. C. for the yearbook and was a member of Gamma Phi. She was active in many activities on campus.
Al and Bobbie married on Aug. 25th, 1952, and moved to Louisville, Ky., for Al to attend Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She worked for Cochran Foil Aluminum Co. for three years in the accounting dept., and took some night classes at the Seminary. She resigned her job to start their family.
Susan was born in 1956 and Steve was born in 1959.
After 13 years in Kentucky, they moved back to Arkansas for Al to pastor Levy Baptist Church in North Little Rock, Ark. There she taught Sunday School and worked in various ways in the church. She worked as a substitute teacher in the public schools, then as a secretary in the Little Rock office for Ouachita Baptist University in Little Rock. When Al became pastor of First Baptist Church in Crossett, Ark., she worked again in the school system there as a substitute teacher.
She had many interests. She served as a former president of the Arkansas Baptist Ministers Wives, a former president of the Little Rock Area Ouachita Club, former speaker, and teacher for the Interfaith Witness Department of the Home Mission Board. She traveled with her husband on mission trips to New Zealand and Baumholder, Germany. Throughout her life she taught adult Sunday School for over 50 years.
She had many hobbies. She enjoyed reading, music, sketching, writing, and sports.
Bobbie Sparkman died September 26th at the age of 90. Survivors include her children, Susan Bradford and her husband, Vic, of Rogers; Stephen Sparkman and his wife, Sandy, of Stilwell, Okla., her grandchildren, Leslie Cotton, Crystal Mullen, Laura Young, Jacob Sparkman; two step-grandchildren, Allison and Dylan Biederstadt; seven great-grandchildren; and sister, Norma Williams of Shreveport, La.
Memorial service will be on Saturday, September 30th, at 1:00 at Grace Baptist Church in Rogers. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Grace Baptist Church, Arkansas Baptist Children’s Home or Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, Ark., or charity of donor’s choice.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff and administration at Rogers Health and Rehab Long Term Care Center for the love and care they showed our mom.
To leave an online condolence please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com.