Julia Clementine Sparks

Julia Clementine, the fifth child of Robert Lee Sparks and Ebber Sloan Bostic, was born in Cliffside on 27 September 1927. She graduated from Cliffside High School in 1947 and for several years worked at Mills Drug Store in Cliffside and later as a receptionist at the local doctor’s office. While living at Cliffside Clemie was very active in the Cliffside Baptist Church working with the children.

On 26 November 1961 Clemie was married to Rhon Winkler from Lenoir, NC, the son of Elizabeth Lovins. Rhon’s career in the Air Force took them to many different places. While In Puerto Rico, Clemie earned her Associate Degree and later attended Lenoir Rhyne College. She worked for twenty years as a teacher’s assistant at Gamewell Elementary School in Lenoir.

Since her retirement Clemie has been a volunteer at Caldwell County Hospital, Caldwell Chamber of Commerce, and Valmead School. She was honored as Volunteer of the year at Valmead School in 1993, 1994 and 1995. She was a recipient of the Rosa Turner award in 1993. She has also worked on her hobby of cross-stitch, preparing a cross-stitch of Cliffside Baptist Church for each of her brothers and sisters.

Rhon Winkler graduated from Happy Valley High School in 1939. He attended Schofield Junior College in Hawaii in 1947-48, the University of Alabama in 1950-52, and Caldwell Community College in 1972.

Rhon served in the U. S. Army Air Force 1942-1947 and in the U. S. Air Force 1947-1969. While in the service he was awarded two Battle Stars, a Korean War Medal, the UN Medal, the Presidential Citation, and the Freedom Foundation award in 1961. Since his retirement Rhon has been Caldwell County Volunteer of the Year in both 1988 and 1992. He served as president of the AARP Caldwell Chapter and received their Distinguished Servlce Award in 1985. ln 1976 he served as Chief Marshall OVTA for Caldwell, Surry and Wilkes counties. He was elected the first president of the Air Force Sgt. Association, Chapter 363. He was first chairman of the Board of the Caldwell County Senior Citizens in 1986 and received the Outstanding Service Award in 1985-88. In 1980 he was awarded the Americanism Award by the International Air Force Sgt. Association. The African Methodist Episcopal Church gave him a Special Award of Recognition for Humanitarian Service in 1990. He was given the Air Force Sgt. Association Pacesetter Award and was honored with the NC National Guard Adjutant General Citation for service to Family Assistance Center during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. In 1994 he received the Community Volunteer Leadership Award from the Caldwell County Chamber of Commerce.

Clemie and Rhon have one daughter, Lisa Dawn, who was born at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana, on 14 July 1964. They are members of Lower Creek Baptist Church in Lenoir, where Rhon is the Fourth Grade director and Clemie is a teacher in the Fourth Grade class.

From Some of the Ancestors and Descendents of Robert Lee Sparks and Ebber Sloan Bostic by Jimmy Louis Sparks, 1999