Max Sparr, 91
Max W. Sparr, 91, passed away peacefully with his family at his side on July 16, 2025.
Max was born in August of 1933 to Arvid and Elizabeth Sparr on their farm near Red Oak. He was the youngest child, and his name was chosen by his sisters, Evelyn and Dorothy, and his brother, Marion. Max graduated from Red Oak High School in 1951 and worked at Martin & Sons Farm Store until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953. He served in Korea as a radio operator until discharged in 1955. Max returned to Red Oak and resumed employment with Martin & Sons Farm Store where he worked for many years.
Max married Mary Lynnette (Lynne) Johnson on June 1, 1957, in Sidney. They had six children, Jeff, Mark, Laurie, Andy, Lisa and Juli. They lived a very nice life in Red Oak.
In June of 1973, Max accepted a new job as manager at Ranch & Home, a farm and hardware supply store in Moses Lake, Washington. He moved his family, and they made some new friends and enjoyed some nice years there.
In 1978, an opportunity arose for Max to purchase Martin & Sons Farm Store. He owned and operated the store as S&S Farm & Home Supply until closing it in 1996. Max continued to work in the hardware business until fully retiring and moving to Elkader, where he and Lynne enjoyed a great small-town atmosphere and joined St. Joseph Catholic Church. In 2007, Max and Lynne moved to Spokane Valley, Washington, and enjoyed life with family in this area along with many great visits from our family in Iowa. Max was a very easy-going guy and loved spending time with family and friends, playing cards, reading books, watching sports and doing some gardening, growing tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and flowers.
Max is survived by his beloved wife of 68 years, Lynne Sparr; his children, Jeff Sparr, Mark (Cheryl) Sparr, Laurie (Steve) Sheppard, Andy Sparr, Lisa (Bill) Wombacher, and Juli (Joe) Zakrzewski; his 13 grandchildren; his 22 great-grandchildren; his sister, Evelyn Peterson; his sister-in-law, Mary Sparr; and many nieces and nephews. Max will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved him.
A celebration of life will be arranged at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) in memory of Max.