November 30, 1945-April 20, 2023

JANET SPARKS MARION, age 77, was born on November 30, 1945, daughter of Charles Leo Sparks and Lillian E. [Coble] Sparks, in Lebanon, Indiana, where she lived with her parents and her brother Lyle until after graduating from Lebanon High School in 1964.

From the time she was a toddler she was a high-spirited girl who loved to be outdoors, where she was both physically active and emotionally in tune with all of God's creation, the open fields and the woods, and all creatures great and small.  She loved her family's Sunday outings to the many fine Indiana State Parks, especially Turkey Run, The Shades, and McCormick's Creek.  As an adult she loved to return to those places to hike and camp with school friends.

Her love for life and her generosity of feeling brought her many friends.  They also gave her parents many bittersweet moments, when she would bring home a bird with a wounded wing or an abandoned kitten she had found in the orchard behind her home. Her Dad made little beds for them, and her Mother, trained as a nurse, showed her how to care for them.

Janet had a love for life and all living creatures, especially the youngest and most vulnerable.  That strong natural feeling is something she carried with her and shared with others throughout her life.

In 1981, Janet's life changed drastically, when she met Jesus and accepted him as LORD and Savior of her life. From that point on she wanted her life to reflect the grace and love she had been shown and to share it with others.

After her decision to follow Christ, she changed careers from working in computer operations at Von Duprin to the Director of a prolife Indianapolis Crisis Pregnancy Center where she cared deeply for her clients and volunteers.

In 1998, Janet, "Granna" and her mother, Lillian Sparks, sold their home and moved to Wheaton to share a home with her daughter, Lori, and son-in-law, Tim and her grandchildren, Timothy, Naomi, and Abigail. Noah would be born 10 years later. In her favorite role as "Granna," she hosted rowdy Friday night hide and go seek games during sleepovers in her room and lunches out at Wheaton College weekly for years. She loved living with her family and often commented on how blessed she was.

After moving to Wheaton, Janet was an Administrative Assistant at Wheaton College and then in retirement worked at Kohls and Target where she enjoyed meeting people and having her "regular" customers come through her line. Janet varied her roles volunteering at church in the office, cleaning, and working with special needs adults (STARs). Outside of church she was involve with CERT and working in the gardens at Cantigny Park.

Janet retired from Target when her diagnosis of Alzheimer's made it impossible to continue the job she thoroughly enjoyed. She recently moved to DuPage County Care Center and enjoyed getting to know other residents and staff there. After a short illness and a rapid decline, she quietly left her broken body and mind behind and went to Heaven healed and whole and praising Jesus.

Janet is survived by her brother, Lyle (John); daughter, Lori (Tim); grandchildren, Timothy (Kristiana), Naomi (Cam), Abigail, and Noah; and great-grandchild, Leo.

A memorial service will be held at the home of Tim and Lori Daniels in Wheaton on Monday, May 15 ^th at 11: 00a.m followed by lunch. We will be meeting in the back yard where Janet enjoyed spending time. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to either Cantigny Park ( https://cantigny.org/support-us/financial-support/ ) or Crisis Pregnancy Center Care-net ( https://www.care-net.org/ways-to-give ).