Valerie Puhl Sparks

Valerie Puhl Sparks, age 67, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, passed away Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at The Hospice Center in Mount Pleasant. She was born May 17, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio, to the late Richard Joseph Puhl and Helen Jane Courtney Puhl. Val was a proud Brecksville Bee and graduate of Brecksville High School where she was involved in numerous activities including student government and cheerleading. She spent summers of her youth lifeguarding, teaching diving and sailing with her family. She is widely regarded as the best water skier in the Puhl family. She was married for 46 years to the love of her life, Arthur Sparks. They met at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio where Val was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority. Val was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother. After establishing her young family, Val went back to school and graduated from Kean College in 1978 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a concentration in interior design. She then went on to blaze a highly successful 26-year career in the business furniture industry, the last 22 years with Herman Miller as a global account executive.Val was an avid traveler and took special pride introducing her grandchildren to the joys of travel by treating them to a special overseas trip of their choice on their twelfth birthday. She was a gourmet cook and was well known for her entertaining and memorable feasts. She also loved music and dance and was often the first person to inhabit the dance floor at weddings and parties. Val was the life of the party and will dearly be missed by those she left behind. In addition to her husband, Art, she is survived by her son, Courtney Sparks (and wife Leigh); daughter, Alexandra Sparks; four grandchildren, Virginia, Madison, Prior, and Ryan; brother, Corky Puhl; sister, Reyne Miller; as well as many loving nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her sister, Mary Jane Wells. A private Celebration of Life event will be held Monday, January 16, 2017 at The Tides Owner's Retreat, 155 Wingo Way, Mount Pleasant at 12:00 p.m. Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC. MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to The Center for Women, 129 Cannon St, Charleston SC 29403 or at www.c4women.org/give-back/