James Leonard "Jimmy" Sparks, Sr.

            James Leonard “Jimmy” Sparks, Sr., 96, of Eufaula, Alabama, died Friday, April 17, 2026, at Henry County Health & Rehab in Abbeville.

            Funeral services will be held Friday, April 24, 2026, at 12 Noon, CDT, at Morris Baptist Church with the eulogy being given by Len Sparks.  Burial will follow in the Morris Baptist Church Cemetery with Chapman Funeral Home directing.  The visitation will be held from 5 P.M. until 7 P.M. Thursday evening at the funeral home.  Flowers will be accepted or donations may be made to the Morris Baptist Church.

            Mr. Jimmy was born on Tuesday November 5, 1929, just up the road right here in downtown Morris, Ga. to Elizabeth James Sparks and Web Leonard Sparks (Miss Bess & Mr. Leonard). He was preceded in death by his wife Peggy Lou James Sparks his parents Bess and Leonard and his sisters June Sparks Nolan and her husband Tommy and his sister Mary Lynn Sparks Moulthrop and her husband Bobby. Jimmy is survived by His son Len Sparks and his wife Nancy, his daughter Luanne Henke and her husband Bill, and his son Andy Sparks and his wife Ann. Grandchildren Joe Sparks, Jon Sparks, Bill Henke, Garrett Henke, Trent Sparks, Samantha Queen Hayes and Peyton Queen. Great Grandchildren Garrison Sparks, McCall Sparks, Ruby Sparks, Scout Henke and Palmer Henke and several nieces and nephews.

As a young boy Jimmy grew up out at Morris, Ga. in the country in the woods and on the farm as his father cut wood, sawmilled, and farmed and had a store. Jimmy would follow in his father’s footsteps working alongside as he got older.

Growing up it wasn’t all work as he played Tennis, Basketball and of course Baseball. Baseball was literally the national pastime in those days, and he would tell of the stories of games played every Sunday afternoon.

He would go on to become a pretty good baseball pitcher and played on some local teams traveling the local area playing other towns. But when he left to go to college, he said he didn’t make the team his first year. He said he came back home and got another year and season under his belt and went back the following year and made the team. In 1948 he signed his first professional Baseball Contract with the Washington Senators organization. Jimmy played with them and was in York, PA playing when his mother notified him, he had been drafted into the Army at the start of the Korean conflict. He would go on and finish his tour in the Army and come home and picked up working with his Daddy again, logging, Sawmilling and farming.

Jimmy met Peggy James and started courting and they got married June 6, 1954 and they had three children (me) Len, Luanne and Andy. Two daughters in law are Nancy Sparks and Ann Sparks and one son in law Bill Henke. Seven grandchildren, Joe and Jon Sparks, Bill and Garrett Henke, Trent Sparks, Samantha and Payton Queen and five Great Grandchildren Garrison Sparks, McCall Sparks, Ruby Sparks, Scout Henke and Palmer Henke.

It was there that He and Peggy raised their kids while Jimmy logged cut pulpwood and farmed and later went to work for the Post Office as Postmaster Morris, Ga and later Postmaster Georgetown and he continued his farming raising Peanuts, Corn and Cattle. Jimmy retired from the Postal Service with over 30 plus years of federal service.

Jimmy always played baseball and softball as Eufaula and the local communities always had teams. But at age fifty-five he went to Columbus and joined the Columbus Senior Softball Association. For the next thirty plus years he traveled the country playing in National Tournaments in Tampa, FL, Phoenix, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, Detroit, MI, Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA and numerous towns across the United States. He was a member of three National Championship teams and was the MVP in the championship won in Las Vegas.

Jimmy was also an avid golfer not taking up the sport full-time until he was sixty-five years old. Jimmy was a member of the Valley Seniors and Dixie Seniors in the Columbus area playing three to four times weekly.

Jimmy never met a stranger and genuinely loved people. He was a great father and grandfather following his children and grandchildren all over watching them play basketball, football, and baseball and cheerleading.

Jimmy loved the Lord and was a faithful member and Deacon at Morris Baptist Church where he led the singing for seventy plus years.

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