Obituary of Sandy Sproul, Jr.

Stanley Sanford Sproul, Jr., 101, died on March 12, 2020, known as Sandy, he was born on December 8, 1918 in Lewiston, Ohio. He was the first of four children born to Stanley Sanford Sproul and Ruth Marie McBride Sproul. Sandy and his siblings grew up in the small town of Waynesfield, Ohio. His mother died of peritonitis following a hysterectomy when Sandy was 16. Sandy graduated from Waynesfield High School in 1936. He worked his way through college and earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State University in 1942. On April 7 of 1942 he married Evelyn Joy Wing; Sandy and Evelyn raised six children together and remained married for more than 75 years, living most of that time in their home in Meridian, New York. Sandy served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946. He was initially based in Newport, Rhode Island. He served in the Pacific Theater at a base on Guam and left the Navy in 1946 as a Second Lieutenant. After leaving the Navy Sandy worked as an Electrical Engineer, first for Sperry Gyroscope Co. on Long Island, then from 1950 to 1982 for General Electric in the Syracuse area. He was part of the development teams for the multi-stage rockets that launched satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral and for the Distant Early Warning radar installations across Canada. Until the 1960’s Sandy was the sole wage earner for his family, but he found the time to do many things with and for his family and community. He took his children sledding and took them on many camping and canoeing trips in the Adirondacks. To fulfill his dreams of sailing he created a sailing canoe rig to enjoy on camping trips. He served on the local school board for 13 years, held a leadership position in the Cub Scouts for three years and served as a Village Trustee for over eight years. He created a baseball field on their property which became a magnet for all the children in the area. Subsequently he and Evelyn donated this property to the village of Meridian for a village park. Sandy was always highly self-sufficient and took satisfaction in maintaining their house and grounds himself. He raised a huge vegetable garden; at harvest times he organized the family to freeze corn, beans and other vegetables, along with the bushels of potatoes, onions and squash he kept in the cool root cellar. Music-making was important to Sandy throughout his life. As a young man he played the trumpet and was able to go to college because of a music scholarship he received. As an adult he took violin lessons, which he continued for many years. He played the violin in several orchestras, including the Syracuse University Orchestra, the Scottish Rites Orchestra, and the Auburn Civic Orchestra. After retirement he took pleasure in playing string quartets with friends at several adult music camps. In their retirement Sandy and Evelyn enjoyed traveling together to England, Norway, Turkey and various parts of the United States. In later years, as Evelyn’s strength declined more rapidly than Sandy’s, he was a loyal and patient caregiver for her, making it possible for them to continue living together in their own house until they were both well into their nineties. He enjoyed visits with his children and grandchildren, especially at biannual family reunions. Sandy was predeceased by his parents, his wife Evelyn, his sisters Irma Louise and Helen, and his daughter Susan. He is survived by his brother Joe; his son Glenn and his wife Marga and their sons Adrian and Daniel; his daughter Sarah Cotterill and her husband Philip Cotterill and their sons Ethan, Gavin and Neil, and Neil’s daughter Avery; his daughter Miriam Sproul and her husband Wayne Belding and their son Scott Belding; his daughter Ruth Sproul; and his daughter Deborah Wing-Sproul and her husband Anthony Kosner and their children Arden Wing, Leo Wing and Koko Wing. In his last three years Sandy lived at Finger Lakes Center for Living in Auburn, NY, initially sharing a room there with his wife Evelyn until her death in 2018. The family is deeply appreciative of the thoughtful and loving care the staff at Finger Lakes gave so consistently to both Sandy and Evelyn over the last nine years. Thank you! Sandy’s body has been cremated in accordance with his wishes. Final arrangements are by Farrell’s Funeral Service in Auburn. His ashes will be buried with those of his wife Evelyn at a later date in the cemetery in Meridian, New York, where they lived for sixty-seven years. No memorial event is planned at this time. Those wishing to express condolences to the family may do so at https://farrellsfuneralserviceinc.com .