John Kalleen Sprague Jr.

John Kalleen Sprague, Jr., originally from Chattanooga, died Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at his home in Decatur. His final battle with Alzheimer?s was not lost but won, because now he is home with the Lord. He was born August 2, 1933, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Throughout his life he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, nephew, uncle and friend. An avid fan of University of Tennessee athletics, he was a football and basketball season-ticket holder. He was an active member of his church, where he served as a deacon, a Sunday-school teacher, a choir-member, and a participant in home missions. He was a devoted Christian who lived his faith every day. In 1996, he retired from Arcade Printing Company in Chattanooga, where he worked for 26 years, and chose to live the country life in Decatur. He is preceded in death by parents, John Kalleen Sprague, Sr., and Trula O?Dell Sprague, and by a daughter, Joyce Ellen Sprague. Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Linda Bruce Sprague, of Decatur; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Charlotte and John Berg, of Chattanooga, and Shirley and Houston Patterson, of Chattanooga; one brother and sister-in-law, James and Bonnie Sprague, of North Carolina; two daughters and sons-in-law, Karen and John Marsee, of Knoxville, and Amy and Robert Conner, of Goodlettsville, one son, John K Sprague, III, of Decatur; six grand children: Toby Conner, Ian Conner, Jacob Sprague, Isabella Sprague, Kate Conner and Benjamin Conner; and several nieces and nephews. All services will be held on Friday, March 6, 2009, at Candies Creek Church, 294 Old Eureka Road, NW, in Charleston, Tennessee. The family will receive friends from 2 until 4 p.m. Friday, March 6, 2009. The funeral will take place at 4 p.m., Friday, March 6, 2009 with Dr. Jamison L. Work, Hugh Bryan, and Gary Bender officiating, Interment will follow at the Candies Creek Cemetery. Ralph Buckner Funeral Home, Cleveland, Tennessee, is in charge of arrangements. The family requests memorial contributions be made to the Candies Creek Church Children?s Ministry.