Max Sparrow

Max Sparrow was a hardworking, honest and loyal man, a member of our Greatest Generation, who lived through difficult times, but was never hardened by them. Max was a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, and a good friend to so many. Most of all, he was a man who truly appreciated and enjoyed all his many blessings. Blessings he so richly deserved. Max's story began on a hot summer day in 1924, in the beautiful lakeside city of Muskegon, Michigan. Those were such exciting times in this country, in the heyday of the Roaring Twenties, when Big Band music was king, and Prohibition was the law of the land. There was much to celebrate in those days, especially for George and Amelia Sparrow, who on August 28, 1924, celebrated the birth of a baby boy, a son they named Max Calvin Sparrow. Max's father was a salesman for Bishop Furniture, while his mother cared for Max and his sister Beverly, three years his junior. Max was a sickly little boy, and his mother was always trying to beef him up! Soon, however, times became lean for Americans everywhere. When the Great Depression began, the Sparrow family was hit very hard, and they lost their East Muskegon home. Max did his part to help the family, and sold vegetables and apples from a pull cart to make money, which was more dangerous than it sounds. Many times he had to fight off stray dogs while he worked!. His experiences during the Depression changed him forever, like it did so many, but while some became more frugal, it made Max strive to afford the finer things in life, and to one day provide a better life for his family. Max attended Muskegon High School, where he played on the Big Reds football team, his mother's efforts to "beef him up" apparently having succeeded. After he graduated, Max was drafted in the Army, as World War II had spilled upon our shores by then. Bright young man that he was, the Army sent him to study at the University of Michigan, until his grades couldn't keep him there any longer! So he shipped out overseas, serving as an engineer in Europe and later the Philippines. When the war ended and Max was discharged, he returned home to Muskegon, yet never spoke of the hardships of war he saw, anxious to move forward in his life. In 1946, Max married his high school sweetheart, Helen Schutter, who he said he wouldn't marry until he returned from the Army. The husband and wife soon became father and mother, as well, with their daughter Janet joining the family in 1947. Max provided for his growing family by working on the doing railroad freight delivery. He was also a gifted craftsman and carpenter (skills he learned from his grandfather), who could easily figure complicated fractions in his head. He began building his family a home on the side, working on it in the evenings after a hard day's work. His payments were $30 a month, and his family was sure he'd never be able to afford it, but Max somehow found a way, just as he always had. Helen kept the houshold managed and because the family didn't own a car, they took the bus everywhere. Eventually, Max left the railroad to work for Highland Park Dairy, becoming a milkman, which he enjoyed. He and Helen celebrated two more "deliveries," of their own, as well, with son Jim born in 1950, and daughter Debbie in 1955. Together the family loyally attended Berean Church at first, and later Church of the Open Door after the congregation split, where Max sang in the choir and served as the treasurer on the board for many years. They also took beloved trips to visit Helen's parents in Arizona, where they went to Disneyland and the Rose Bowl Parade, and to the Upper Peninsula to see more family, in the days before the Mackinac Bridge was built in 1957. Max worked hard to provide for his family, and to afford the finer things in life, too. He loved to shop, and always enjoyed looking nice, and putting on a suit and tie. The family also had one of the very first televisions in their neighborhood, making their home a very popular place with the kids on their block! Sadly, Max's beloved wife Helen was diagnosed with cancer in the mid-1960s, and after a brave battle, she died at their home in 1966. Max and the kids were devastated, yet relied on each other to persevere. Max continued working hard - he loved working, and it seemed like he always was - and the kids helped out around the home. Max turned out to be a great cook, too. While he missed Helen, Max would find love again, when he met a wonderful woman named Lavina, a young widow from New Era, Michigan. The two were set up by friends, and after just a few dates, Max was head-over-heels for her. They met in February and married that August. Lavinia brought two kids of her own into the marriage, Ed and Lenora, and the two families blended seamlessly. In fact, sometimes it was the kids united against the parents! Max was a wonderful, supportive husband and father, and when his daugher Jan was in the school band, he began attending the Big Reds' football games, a tradition that continued for more than 40 years. Max loyally cheered them on from the same seats every Friday in the fall, right under the press box. Max "retired" from his milkman's job in 1987, at the age of 63, but later took a job he loved at Interior Specialties in Spring Lake. Not only was Max a great carpenter but he had a wonderful talent of engineering the projects and could figure out just how everything would fit together.He worked there eight more years, until he injured his toe and quit working. He remained in high demand, but slowed down quite a bit. He began devoting more time to his family, and especially, his beloved grandchildren. Max loved being a grandpa, and doted on those kids. He began developing tremors, however, and had an implant put in which stopped them for nearly four years. The implant improved his quality of life, and brought back his trademark humor and great attitude about everything. Sadly, Max began feeling ill in January of 2007, and suffered a heart attack, which contributed to his death. He died Tuesday, January 16, 2007, at the age of 82. Max was a wonderful man, a hardworking, devoted family man and friend to so many. He was a member of our Greatest Generation, and while he lived through difficult times, he was inspired by them, never hardened. Max was a man who always appreciated and enjoyed his many blessings. We were so blessed to have known him. He will be greatly missed. Surviving are his wife, Lavina Sparrow; Children: Janet (Ed) Buitendorp of Muskegon; James (Darlene) Sparrow of South Carolina; Debbie (Brian) Kaub of California; Lenora Schneider; Ed (Janice) Furman; 13 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; Sister Beverly (Rev. Al) Mersman of South Carolina. He was preceded in death by 1st wife Helen (Schutter) Sparrow in 1966. Funeral services are Friday, January 19, 2007 at Clock Life Story Funeral Home Chapel, with a reception following at Clock Life Story Funeral Home Family Center. Visitation is scheduled for Thursday January 18, 2007 from 2-4 p.m. & 7-9 p.m. Clock Life Story Funeral Home. To share a memory of Max, upload a photo, or sign the guestbook, please visit his Memory Page at www.lifestorynet.com.