Dale 'Spatsy' Roland Sparrow

Dale Spatsy Roland Sparrow, 84, of Hemphill, Texas, formerly of Danville, passed away at 6:48 p.m. est. Saturday, November 13th, 2010 at St. Vincents Hospital in Carmel, Indiana. Dale was born on September 17th, 1926 in Decatur, Illinois, the son of Guy and Laura (Brown) Sparrow. He married Twyla Kelderhouse in 1948 in Danville. She preceded him in 1991. He later married Mary Martin in Anderson, Indiana. She preceded him in death in 2002. He is survived by one son- Anthony G. (April) Sparrow of Georgetown; three daughters- Dail Ellen (Robert) Henry of Newport, Indiana, Beverly (Paul) Miller of Greentown, Indiana and Cathy (Gerry) Swank of Nashville, Tennessee; ten grandchildren- William Walz, Michael Walz, Dustin Walz, Donette (Brian) Sandlin, Anthony Sparrow, Logan Sparrow, Angel Sparrow, Lacy Sparrow, Michael Sparrow and Matthew Sparrow; seven great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and companion- Jackie Rolfman of Hemphill, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents, wives, step-father- Bill Evers, two brothers- Byron Sparrow and Edward Sparrow, one sister- Frances Lawhorn, nephew- James Butch Lawhorn, who was like a brother to him, and a son-in-law- Albert A.J. Miller, who was like a son to him. Dale left high school when he was 16 to join the United States Navy and later received his high school diploma with his nephew-Butch, when he was in his 70s. Dale served in the Navy during WWII and Korean War Conflict and he later retired from the Naval Reserve. After retiring, Dale always organized the Navy Reunions with past shipmates. He worked at General Motors for 32 years, until retiring in 1980. After retiring, Dale and Twyla moved to Hemphill, Texas, where he enjoyed spending his time fishing. While living in Hemphill, Dale served as Past Commander for the VFW in Hemphill. He enjoyed playing bingo and in his younger days he was an avid bowler and enjoyed riding his Harley. He also loved to travel and spend time with his family. A Celebration of the life of Dale Spatsy Roland Sparrow will be at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 17th, 2010 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, a Life Celebration Home, with Pastor James Blue officiating. Burial will follow the service in Sunset Memorial Park, with military rites being conducted by the Westville American Legion. Visitation will be from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with a Masonic service at 3:30 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Hemphill, Texas VFW. Condolences may be sent to the family at: www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.