Barbara F. Sprenger
1925-2023 Carmel, CA
We celebrate the life of Barbara Finch Sprenger, loving mother, independent businesswoman, avid golfer and bridge player, and adventurous traveler, who died peacefully on January 28, 2023, in Monterey, CA. She was 97.
Born on June 7, 1925, the daughter of Ardath and Ralph Finch (‘Mother and Daddy’), Barbara grew up in Portland, OR, later moving to Sherwood. She attended Oregon State. After WWII, she married Lew Church and raised 3 sons, moving to the Bay Area and finally to Sacramento. Working at Aerojet Corp, she met her future husband, David Sprenger, whom she married in 1962. Barbara and David joined Del Paso CC and began a lifelong love of golf, where she served as Women’s Captain. In 1968, they bought their dream home in Pebble Beach and joined Monterey Peninsula CC, where she built a coterie of friends and travel partners. She helped run the Junior Girls CWAC tournaments in Northern California for a number of years. She also turned her talents to real estate, becoming an independent broker at Sprenger & Associates. Together, David and Barbara enjoyed traveling to San Francisco, New York, Boston, and London to attend the symphony and theatre, always looking for that little restaurant to try.
After David died in 1996, Barbara decided that she wanted to see the world, beginning a 20+ year series of adventures, traveling to all 7 continents, from riding in zephyr boats to observe penguins on ice flows in Antarctica, to sailing the Yenisei River 250 miles above the Arctic Circle in Russia, to safaris in Tanzania and South Africa, to walking among the Moai on Easter Island, to enjoying the sights of Israel, England, China, India, Japan, Australia, and Chile, to name a few.
A lifelong Democrat (though she later lamented voting once for Reagan), Barbara loved attending lectures and events at the Panetta Center and faithfully watching her “Rachel” Maddow to anchor and argue her vision of things. She cherished her bridge club, with whom she traveled extensively, and her regular Tuesday/Thursday bridge date with close friends. Possessed with an infectious laugh, friends knew Barb was in the room. Extremely independent, she continued to drive to the end, still perfectly parallel parking with the best on Ocean Ave. She always had an eclectic pile on the coffee table with its assortment of dog wipes, Kleenex, small bonbon sweets, books, Bibles, and puzzles. Over the years, she always had one of her wonderful little dogs, Gretchen, Muffy, or Poco, join her on the sofa, or on a walk in the neighborhood.
Her life is celebrated by sons Larry Church (Soquel), Mike Church (Pleasant Hill), Scott Sprenger (Ben Lomond), stepdaughter Cathy Easton (Sacramento), nieces Jill Finch Richards (Tualatin, OR), Julie Finch Garey (Leesburg, VA), 7 grandchildren (Amala Easton, Tess Church, Elizabeth Church Abaid, Eli Sprenger, Zachariah Sprenger, Caleb Sprenger, Jacob Sprenger), and 16 great-grandchildren. Joining them in this celebration of life are Larry’s wife Jill, Mike’s wife Tami, and Scott’s wife Sheryl. Barbara was pre-deceased by her brother James Finch and her beloved sister-in-law Barbara Finch Eastman.
A celebration of her life will be held TBD at El Carmelo Cemetery in Pacific Grove, where Barbara will join David. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Barbara F. Sprenger to Peace of Mind Dog Rescue, hospice care, or a charity of your choice. Condolences may also be expressed at www.dignitymemorial.com.