SPARKS, Dawn

Dawn Sparks would tell you she was a quiet person who lived a quiet life. And that’s true. It’s also true that still waters run deep.

Born to Carl and Lorna Anderson on July 10, 1946, and raised on Dudley Ave in Fort Rouge, Winnipeg, Dawn was the second youngest of four siblings. A popular girl, she attended Grant Park High School and was a regular at the Friday night dances at Crescentwood Community Centre.

At age 16, Dawn met her future husband, John, one fateful night at the Salisbury House on Pembina and Stafford. John was smitten with her beauty, charm, and freckles. Dawn clearly saw something rather appealing in him too. John and Dawn dated off and on for seven years, finally eloping in 1969 to Grand Forks, USA, for a two-day honeymoon at a cheap motel where Dawn promptly fell asleep before John returned with their celebratory six-pack.

Together for 62 devoted years, they welcomed two daughters and two sons.

In 1977, John and Dawn moved to North Vancouver, eventually settling in Deep Cove. Those early years were filled with family camping trips to Deception Pass State Park, house boating excursions on the Shuswap, ski trips and potluck dinners with friends, and ferrying their kids to endless afterschool activities.

In her 40s, Dawn fulfilled her lifelong dream of higher education and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Simon Fraser University. That same decade, she co-authored the book Echoes Across the Inlet, a history of Deep Cove and the area for the Heritage Association (1989).

An artist at heart, Dawn was never without a creative project. She studied interior decorating and designed two of the Sparks family homes. She restored furniture and handmade Christmas ornaments, tie-dyed long johns, and baked blackberry pies. Upon retiring to Salt Spring Island in 1996, Dawn’s talents blossomed in sculpture and painting. A prolific talent, her artworks line the homes of all her children, friends, family, and more than a few strangers.

Dawn was a lifelong learner and a self-professed “joiner.” She studied religion, spirituality, and Tai Chi with equal fervour. She loved long walks in the woods, always at a brisk pace, and travel, especially in Europe. She loved folk music, books, and documentaries, and a glass of white wine in the evening.

A devoted mother and wife, a considerate friend, a sweet woman, and a gentle soul, Dawn was quite simply an easy person to love.
Dawn is survived and dearly missed by her husband John, her children Wendy, Shane, Joel, Carley, their spouses, her 13 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life for Dawn will be held later this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada in Dawn’s name at alzheimer.ca.