Kim Sparrow

Kim Robert Sparrow, also known as "Byrd," 67, of Bismarck passed away suddenly Tuesday morning June 27, after a shockingly short battle with cancer.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00AM, Thursday, July 6 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM Wednesday, July 5 at Parkway Funeral Service.

Interment will be held at Fairview Cemetery in Bismarck.

Kim was born April 23, 1956 in Minot, ND and grew up on his parents' farm northwest of McClusky, ND. He graduated from McClusky High School in 1974 and later Hansen Mechanical School in Fargo. He then went to work at Liebelt Chevrolet in Beulah and Hazen Motors in Hazen as a mechanic for 12 years. On June 6, 1980 he married Judy Yeager in Beulah and they lived in Beulah until 1991 when they moved back to McClusky and took over his parents' farm after their deaths.

Besides farming, Kim also worked as a commercial truck driver and spent several years working as an oil tank driver in the Bakken oil field and also as a lube tech at Cedric Thiel in Bismarck until he retired several years ago. He was a major contributor to Judy's embroidery and quilting business by keeping her many machines running, packing and toting her goods to craft shows and being her "out front" salesman during the shows.

Kim loved doing so many things. His Harley Davidson softtail was his pride and joy and he and Judy went to 23 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally’s together. Cruise night in downtown Bismarck was also a popular thing for them to enjoy, usually driving their black metallic Polaris Slingshot or their shiny, orange 2008 Dodge Challenger.

He loved to "visit" with his many friends, family, neighbors or anyone he happened to meet that seemed to be interesting. Many hours were spent gabbing about nothing in particular or anything and everything under the sun. He was a great story and joke teller which were made even better by his presentations which were often quite entertaining. Many people will miss his long, two-hour phone conversations--especially his sister!

He was an imposing figure of a man--broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip--who could appear gruff on the outside, but anyone who knew him, knew he was soft hearted to the core. He loved helping his neighbors with various things and kept many driveways free of snow. He helped many cars, trucks, and school buses that had gotten stuck in the snow. He was a top-notch mechanic and had the reputation that "Sparrow" could fix anything. He handmade many of the items in his yard, including a bench made from his dad’s old blue Chevrolet pickup tailgate.

Kim was predeceased by his parents Kenneth and Dorothy Sparrow; father-in-law and mother-in-law Norman and Elaine Yeager and many aunts and uncles.

He is survived by his wife Judy; sons, Sheridan (Kimberly) Sparrow of Merrifield, MN and Kyle Sparrow (friend Carlee Bartholomay) of Bismarck; granddaughters, Elissabeth, Kassidy and Corissa Sparrow of Merrifield, MN; sister Rosanna (James) Clouse of Gold Canyon, AZ; brothers-in-law, Lyle (Vicky) Yeager, Keith (Lori) Yeager, Larry Yeager, Kenny Yeager, and Kevin (friend Robin) Yeager all of Beulah, and his special animal friends, cats, Socks and Keetz and dogs. Daisy and Willow.

Ride On