Thomas Edgar Sparks, "Eddie" to his oldest friends, was born in Shelby, NC, March 10th, 1951.

He attended Shelby Senior High and later Gardner Webb University. In 1970, Eddie traveled to The Soviet Union to perform with the Good News Singers of America supported by The First Baptist Church of Shelby. They were one of the first amateur musical groups ever invited by the Russian government to perform in the country. It was a remarkable time to be behind the iron curtain.

After graduation from Gardner Webb, he worked for the Cleveland Lumber Company. He then began working for H&R Block and supervised several of their offices in Gastonia, NC and Tullahoma, Tennessee. Ultimately, he retired in Winston Salem where he became a member of the congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Epiphany.

Eddie loved sports, particularly golf and football. He was a big man, in stature, in voice, and in his opinions. In his youth he suited up as the bulldog mascot at Gardner Webb, bouncing from the stands to the field. Never was there a man more suited to the role or the nickname "Bulldog," which he enjoyed even later in life. However, underneath that bold exterior was a man with a tender heart. He loved his mother and father, always being attentive to their needs. Eddie joined in Lutheran mission trips to rural Virginia and prepared Easter breakfasts with the men of his church until he was no longer able. He called his "little" brother like clockwork every Sunday and his best friends every day. In the coming days we will listen for and miss that ring. Eddie lived alone, and lived his life on his own terms, passing peacefully away in his bed on Monday, April 25, 2022.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Annie Hunter Sparks, and his father, Rufus Gerald Sparks of Shelby, NC, and is survived by his brother, Richard Gerald Sparks of Boone, NC, and his most loyal friends Glenn and Wanda Rabb of Winston Salem, whom he considered his family.

Services for Thomas "Eddie" Sparks will be held graveside at 11:00am on Monday, May 2, 2022, at Cleveland Memorial Park where he will be interred next to his parents. All are invited. The proceeds of Eddie's estate will fund scholarships for students at Shelby Senior High School demonstrating a strong desire to attend college, but who might not qualify for a traditional academic scholarship. "Bulldog" would have appreciated that gesture.

Online condolences may me be made at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com

Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home is serving the family.