Glenview Obituary: Peter R. Sparrow, 58

The following obituary is courtesy of Donnellan Family Funeral Services.

Peter R. Sparrow, age 58 of Glenview, IL. Dear husband of Charlotte Sparrow nee Pohanka; loving father of Stephanie and Emily Sparrow; devoted son of Joan Sparrow nee Russell and the late Vincent P. Sparrow; loving brother of Vincent R. (Margaret), Jennifer (the late Richard) Snorf, Geoffrey (Tracey) and Megan Jordan; fond brother-in-law to the Pohanka Family of the East Coast area and Patricia Pohanka of Chicago; fun uncle of many; and will be missed by his beloved cat, Mandu.

Peter started at Northern Trust in 1980 and at the time of his death was Senior Vice President- North American Sales, selling pension trust services to Fortune 500 companies. It was a great job for Peter because Peter had a knack to befriend everyone he met. He was honest, committed, wise, and very funny. His clients became his friends and were just as important to Peter as the people who were his friends from other paths. He was committed to doing the right thing at all times and wanted to make certain that every person who touched his accounts were appreciated and recognized.

Peter was generous and kind, always finding ways to help or do what was needed. He had an abundance of time, treasure and talent that he gave openly and without strings attached. He often helped others with travel, sharing and donating airline award miles, sharing his car and football tailgating equipment, providing counsel and insight to others, particularly young people soon to enter the workforce, and connecting people together.

Peter held his friends close and never forgot them – from grade school, high school, college, and the Glenview hood. Peter is one of those people who is so easy to know and easy to love that years can pass and when you meet again it’s as though time stood still – you pick up as though you just hugged yesterday.

“Like Burnham he made no little plan.” A dear friend passed away 10 years ago. In his memory Peter developed and organized the “Hackberry” – a golf outing to memorialize his friend, an avid reader and golfer, hence the “Hack”. This event was held annually for 5 years and raised $125K to benefit the Glenview Education Foundation.

Peter adored his family – mom, dad, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins near and far, in-laws, outlaws, nieces and nephews, blood relatives and not. He and Char, his wife, walked together the days of his illness finding the true meaning of faith, love and understanding. And for every minute of their lives, Peter was driven by his daughters, Stephanie and Emily. They were always the love of his life and his joy in them will continue to shower them through the rest of their lives. He even created a country named “Spance” located just between Spain and France. You’re unlikely to have been there – you need very special credentials. Peter was born there and spoke Spench, a language the girls haven’t yet mastered but which Peter never tired of teaching.

Peter always wanted to be a photographer – outdoor photography – landscapes, nature, expressions of drama and serenity. He has taken thousands of photos from travels – if you’re lucky there may be people in a few to remind you who else was on the trip. His photographs are art. He made the vastness of nature intimate and personal by capturing the finest detail, such as the cooling of flowers against a sunbaked veranda, or moss that grows fat on a rolling stone, or a strawberry in a field forever. His photographs speak volumes of the depth and breadth of Peter, his innermost self.

Peter was diagnosed with cancer in January of this year. “Abdominal” he said, thinking that people would be satisfied with that. Eventually, it became clear that it was pancreatic. Instinct has you searching it on the internet – the worst thing you can do because you, nor Peter, fit that exact mold. Peter was very private about his illness, not in denial, but because he didn’t want to be defined by cancer, his or any. He strictly controlled information because he didn’t want people to make a fuss, he didn’t want people to look differently at him or his family; he didn’t want pity. He wanted status quo – ok, let’s be real, he wanted control. And there was absolutely no reason Peter couldn’t be a positive stat. Peter immediately found comfort in daily devotions, acupuncture, mindfulness and above all, he “wasn’t done being the girls’ dad”. He handled chemo great for 2 months, working full time and travelling. No one would have suspected he had cancer. Soon after Easter things started to change. After Memorial Day, his condition worsened dramatically. Peter died too soon for all of us, but God. Peter came to peace with the inevitable outcome. He was sad but not scared.

Peter died the most peaceful death imaginable. No pain, no suffering. The speed was like a sci-fi movie; but his calm was like the surface of a mountain lake on a late summer night. No furrowed brow; no worry lines; no meds. Pure peace.

Visitation Tuesday, June 2, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Donnellan Family Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Blvd. at Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077.

Funeral Procession Wednesday, June 3, 2015, 9:30 a.m. from Donnellan Family Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Blvd. at Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077 to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 1775 Grove Street, Glenview, IL 60025.

Mass 10:00 a.m.

Private Interment.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Ave., Ste. 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 or Sr. Paulanne Needy Family Fund, 1775 Grove St., Glenview, IL 60025.

Info: www.donnellanfuneral.com or 847-675-1990