Earl “Whitey” Louis Sprague died at the age of 90 on December 15, 2016 at Aurora House Hospice Center in Weslaco, TX. He was born on April 16, 1926 in Coloma, MI to the late Arthur and Marie (Pinyard) Sprague. The family moved to Watervliet in 1927 after his 5-year-old brother, Rex, was killed by a car. After graduating from Watervliet High School in 1944, he joined the Army Air Corps and served his country until 1946. While on a weekend pass in Lincoln, Nebraska, he met Helen Marie Gaulke. They were married 3 months later on October 27, 1945 and were together until Helen’s death in 1998.
Whitey sold roofing and insulation, learned to butcher, and wound up in procurement at Clark Equipment Co until he bought the small grocery store known as Pfansteihl’s in 1958. The small store was replaced by a much larger store, and Sprague’s Grocery took off, becoming famous for their fine cuts of meat all over. Whitey and Helen raised the first 4 of their 6 children on Paw Paw Lake, then moved to the old Frank Smith home on Paw Paw Avenue in 1958 to make room for the last 2 boys. All six kids worked at the store during their youth and young adulthood. After selling the store in 1980, Whitey became a realtor with Rudell Real Estate in Hartford until he and Helen decided to retire to Fun-n-Sun Park in San Benito, TX in 1987. After Helen’s death, Whitey met Elinor Silsdorf at a Financial Planning Seminar in 1999. They started dating and Whitey met a whole new group of people who became his close friends. He and Elinor were together until her death in 2014.
Whitey’s four brothers and their wives preceded him in death: Robert and Lorraine (Porter), Rex, Gerald and Midge (Soper), and Jack and Celia (Zabia); and sisters-in-law and their husbands: Louise (John) Sullivan; Lorraine (Leslie) Knop. He is survived by his six children: Richard and Marilyn (Weeks) Sprague, Deborah Sprague Kipp, Katherine Sprague, Jeffrey and Valerie (Groff) Sprague, John and Wendy (Hendrix) Sprague, and Robert Sprague; 9 grandchildren: Stephanie (Andrew) Jones and Shanna (Kurt) Hoerman; Rebecca (Andy) Caspersen, Justin (Liz) Kipp, and Brian (Amanda) Kipp; Elizabeth (Jon) Ardan, Bradley Sprague, Tyler (Fatemah) Sprague, and Kyle Sprague; 14 great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.
Whitey had been a long-time member of the Plymouth Congregational Church in Watervliet, where he taught Sunday school, and served as deacon and trustee for many years. He became a member of the American Legion in the early 1950’s, the Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star in 1955, joined the Lion’s Club in 1959 and the Watervliet Jaycees.
Known for his friendly, caring, loving, up-beat and positive nature, Whitey made friends wherever he went. He loved to travel and meet people and was a natural at sports. In high school he played football and basketball and later played intermural basketball, where he loved to use his left hook and wear his black converse shoes from his high school days. While living on the lake, he enjoyed water skiing, boating and fishing, and was an avid golfer until the age of 89.
A memorial service to celebrate Whitey’s life will be on Saturday, April 15 at 10:00 at Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet. Visitation and fellowship will follow immediately after the service. You are invited to share a memory of Whitey at hutchinsfuneral.com
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Gentiva Hospice Harlingen, 410 N. Ed Carey Dr., Harlingen, TX 78550, or to the charity of your choice.