James Sprague

James (Jim) Sprague

12/02/1947 – 03/23/2026

James (Jim) Sprague was born in Long Island, New York on December 2, 1947, to Robert Melville Sprague and Elanor Francis Seabury. He passed away peacefully in his sleep, in the comfort of his home in West Jordan, Utah on March 23, 2026 after battling Alzheimer's disease the past few years.

Jim was born and raised on Long Island, New York, where he attended Centennial Avenue Grade School and W. T. Clarke High School. He was a brilliant man who enjoyed reading and excelled in school. After high school, and at the height of the Viet Nam War, Jim decided to enlist in the U.S Air Force. This required written permission from his parents as he was only 17 at the time. He was stationed in California and England, working as a highly technical avionics specialist on reconnaissance aircraft, achieving the rank of Seargent and earning the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) and Armed Forces Good Conduct Medal (AFGCM) for the entirety of his service.

After the service, he moved back to Long Island and then to Pleasantville, N.Y., again working in electronics. The company he worked for moved to California and he found another job, working in a hospital with the biomedical engineer. This is where he met Carol, the love of his life. Jim and Carol fell in love and got married in 1976. Carol had a daughter, Jenny, from a prior marriage, who Jim always saw as his own. They had two sons together, Brendon and Morgan. Jim loved taking his kids to the movies or to the library, where he shared his love of reading with them. They enjoyed playing board games and card games as a family. Jim was an avid model train enthusiast and built model train sets with his sons.

His next employment was with Thompson CSF, a French-based company. He had the opportunity to travel extensively for work with this company. He enjoyed seeing the world, but enjoyed coming home to spend time with his family after work trips, bringing souvenir spoons for Carol and toys/trinkets for the kids. The company sold to Broadcast Television Systems in Salt Lake. That transaction gave them the opportunity to move to Utah in 1988. They bought Governor Bangerter's house in West Valley, and lived there until 2013, when they moved to West Jordan. During the remainder of his career, he worked for various contractors doing technical support on ICBM's at Hill Air Force Base. He retired in 2012.

After retirement, Jim found information about the West Jordan Senior Center while browsing the internet. It was what he and Carol were looking for to get out into their community. He volunteered at the computer lab, teaching email and internet skills, and offering assistance with miscellaneous computer problems.

Jim collected old radio and TV shows on CDs and digital media: Fibber McGee & Molly, Jack Benny, Gunsmoke, Lucille Ball, and he especially liked English TV shows, (Doctor Who, Faulty Towers, Keeping Up Appearances, etc.), and a real favorite is, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife of 49 years, Carol; his children: Jennifer Kiamie, Brendon (Andi) Sprague, and Morgan Sprague

He was preceded in death by his mother, father, and brother Douglas.

His memorial services will be held Wednesday, April 1st, at Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park Chapel, 17111 South Camp Williams Road, Bluffdale, Utah 84065.

His viewing will be held at 11AM, with memorial services starting at Noon, and graveside dedication at 1PM.

Webcast & condolences at www.jenkins-soffe.com here on his obituary.