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Continued: <b>From SurnameDB.com : Last name: Sparks </b>SDB Popularity ranking: 767 This unusual and intriguing name is of Old Norse origin, and represents a rare survival of an Old Norse byname, "Sparkr", adopted into Olde English and taken into the Middle Ages as a hereditary surname. The name derives from the Old Norse "sparkr, spraek", lively, sprightly, vivacious, and was given originally as a nickname to one thought to be of a particularly lively character. The surnames Sparks and Sparkes are the patronymic forms of Spark(e), the "s" being a reduced form of "son of". Early examples of the name include: William Sperc (1202, Lancashire); Ralph Sparke (1221, Suffolk); and Robertus Spark (1379, Yorkshire). The surname was also one of the earliest into America; John Sparks is listed in the "Muster of the Inhabitants in Virginia", taken in 1624, as having arrived there in the "George" in 1621. Examples of the surname from London Church Registers include the christening of Richard, son of Robarte Sparks, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on August 11th 1577, and the marriage of John Sparks and Joan Compton at St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, on May 1st 1582. A Coat of Arms granted to a family of the name is chequy gold and green, a bend ermine. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Sparkes, which was dated 1301, in the "Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
<b>11 November 2018 AncestryDNA Analysis of Jo Ann's brother, Raymond Earl Sparks Jr. Europe 100% England, Wales & NW Europe 74% Ireland and Scotland 17% Sweden 5% Germanic Europe 4% <u>Jo Ann's DNA Analysis may show slight differences but it is essentially the same as her brother's. </u> </b>Jo Ann was born In Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri. She was to live 73 years, 1 month and 9 days.
She graduated from Berkeley Senior High School in Berkeley, St. Louis County, Missouri: May, 1959.
Jo Ann was given the nickname "Frogi" by her husband Art. She then became an avid collector of all things Frog.
Retired from Springfield, MO Public School System - Kickapoo High School on 01 June 2007.
Jo Ann and Art were married 51 years, 3 months and 14 days. They met for the first time in about the fifth or sixth grade at Berkeley Elementary School.
OBITUARY: Jo Ann Burkett, age 73, of Billings, passed away Tuesday, August 12, 2014. She was born July 4, 1941 in St. Louis, to Raymond and Earline (Barrett) Sparks. She met her husband, Arthur Franklin Burkett, in fifth grade and dated off and on until they married April 29, 1963, in East St. Louis, IL. Jo Ann worked in a cafeteria in a public school while her children were growing up. Her family describes her as an independent woman, fun loving, and very unselfish. She and Art moved many different places with his job, and she never complained. She always made her home a loving place. Art says Jo Ann never had a bad day in her life. After their children were grown, while living in Colorado, she and Art liked to take adventures. They liked to go white water rafting, and camping. Jo Ann loved her family and she will be greatly missed. Survivors include: Her husband, her two sons Brett, of Billings, Art Junior and his wife Susanne, of Nixa; grandsons Stephen McAnally and his wife Kelley, of Strafford, and Justin Burkett, and his fiancé Casey (Shortt) of Ozark; and four great grandchildren. Jo Ann is also survived by her brother Raymond; nephew Buck; and niece Casey (Sparks). Jo Ann is preceded in death by her parents. A private memorial service was held Friday, August 15, 2014. Arrangements are under the direction of Adams Funeral Home, Nixa Published in the Springfield, MO News-Leader on Aug. 16, 2014
Death Certificate states cause of death: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Cancer of the Liver Biliary Ducts) - 3 Months.
NOTE: Jo Ann wanted to be cremated with no traditional services and left the decision about burial or disposition of her ashes to me. Prior to her death, Adams Funeral Home in Nixa, MO was chosen to arrange the cremation, provide death certificate assistance, prepare the newspaper obituary and other elements of the process. They also ordered the selected engraved bronze urn and vault. The Chapel at Adams was used for the simple and private memorial service Jo Ann wanted. Only immediate family members attended and the Minister was Richard Lee, a friend of Art Jr. At first, I thought I would have her ashes put in the very nice bronze urn and keep her with me. Then when I died, I also would be cremated and then our remains would be placed together side by side in a mausoleum. After further thought, I decided it would be wiser to buy a regular sized plot in a very nice cemetery and have our remains buried together with a nice granite monument which was ordered from Nixa Monument. I chose Maple Park Cemetery in Springfield, MO which is very old (1876) and very large (15,000). It is a very beautiful place, particularly in the autumn when the leaves change colors. The gravesite and monument is very near the historic gazebo which is the centerpiece of the cemetery. The ceremony at the burial was informal and short, keeping with Jo Ann's wishes for no traditional services. The attendees were our sons, her brother and me. Richard Lee was also there to serve as our Minister again. After the brief ceremony which ended with Psalm 23, I placed the vault containing the urn with her ashes in the grave, then everyone placed a shovel of dirt on the vault containing the bronze urn and her ashes. I placed the last shovel of dirt. Jo Ann's ashes were buried at 2:00 PM on 01 October 2014. Her monument was set 03 February 2015. AFB
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