James Eads Sprowles

James Eads Sprowles, better known as "Spanky" to the masses and Jim to his immediate family, made his last witty quip on June 17, 2023 after an extensive battle with post-stroke complications.
Jim is survived by his wife Betty of 52 years, two sons Jamie and Justin, two grandchildren Piper and Ledger, sister Barbara Kingsrud, sister Jeanie Landgraf and and countless number of friendships
forged throughout his legendary reign.
Jim was born on June 18, 1944 in Howardstown, KY, the son of the late Jewell and Iveta Sprowles. The "baby" of the family, Jim wasted no time developing his prankster ways as he made his presence felt early and often for those sharing a roof. Jim enjoyed adolescence in various counties in the Kentucky/Indiana region of the United States. He fine- tuned his often embellished point guard
skills on the way to graduating from Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville, Indiana in 1962.
He then spent a year in the seminary. (This is the point where you'll wonder if I dipped into his stash of the Spanky-famed Dr. Mcgillicudy peppermint schnapps but I assure you this has been verified.) Maintaining a girlfriend throughout his stint, this venture would prove to be short-lived. Jim then gave the higher-education route a go at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute where his tenure ranged from a still unconfirmed time period. Some say he vanished after 6 months of classes while others (Jim) often referenced his degree from VA Tech. It remains a moot point because this is when Jim laid his groundwork for his later life ventures.
Upon resurfacing he and his family dabbled in his very first venture in the bar/restaurant industry with "Your Father's Mustache" in the 4th Street district of Louisville, KY. An instant hit, it was later learned he spent a couple "semesters" mastering his new craft down in New Orleans instead of roaming the campus of VPI where my grandfather Jewel was often assured he was.
After a few years living the high life in downtown Louisville, in his typical unpredictable fashion Jim got the urge to do something different. Jim, who was also a self- taught electrical engineer, was hired by the Square D company in Lexington, KY
and later transferred to Oxford, OH. This would prove to be his most successful of all his many moves. A coworker romance was sparked and he quickly locked up Betty Caskey on February 20th, 1971. Our family began quickly thereafter with their first son
Jamie in Liberty, IN. A few more job transfers ensued, tiring Jim of the corporate life, as they settled in Charlotte, NC. After I (Justin) was born he did the fatherly thing and stuck to his new 9-5 life to provide for our family.
Circa 1993 Jim, Betty & Jamie began what would become a domination of the Charlotte bar and restaurant landscape and opened Spanky's Clubhouse off South Tryon. The Yellow Rose (Sharon Lakes & Touchstone) and Bradshaw Social House with many others in between would occupy Jim's time in his prime. Always pushing through the highs and lows my aunt Barbara put it best expressing "he always bounced back" with laughter as we reminisced. Living by his often repeated mantra "dare to be great", he accomplished that effortlessly.
There was rarely a circumstance he didn't have an answer for as we would have family tabled discussion. We always knew he had his mind made up as Jamie wisely began to execute the plan while I hung out a bit to argue about a minor detail we would hope to eventually agree upon. My mom got used to rolling her eyes at all three of us as she often served as the glue holding it
altogether. Even my father knew this, while never going on record to admit it.
Across his 30 years in his businesses his personality finally got to shine. There was never a stranger around as unique and lifelong friendships solidified. Upon learning of his passing many have described him as "legendary" and I couldn't agree more. Whether a conversation began with a guest by "are all the gay bars closed" or "heard the service is great here, would ya like to try some?" the initial shock was always later met with a hug or high five. "Thank you Spank, I'll be back" you'd hear more times than you could count.
Acknowledgement from Spanky was equivalent to gold on a weekend night and he made a point to make his rounds. He brought joy and laughter to so many friends, coworkers and entire families just by being who he was always destined to be, Spanky.
Known as the ultimate extrovert to so many, we more recently witnessed Jim relishing his role as "POOpaw" to Piper and Ledger as he grew to love his days a bit slower paced spending time with family and his puppy Luna. I think the most important gift in life is the feeling you leave instilled upon those who have crossed your path and in this regard he is the undisputed Champion.
My final jab back at him is this incredibly long eulogy that would have surely pissed him off. The truth is I've left out a ton, and we look forward to telling stories and remembering our Father, Husband, Brother and Dearest comrade on Saturday, July 1st from 2pm to
5pm(ish) at Bradshaw Social House located at 8440 Rea Rd in Charlotte, North Carolina. In place of flowers please bring a story and a smile, he would have just been yelling at all of us to get "this dump" cleaned up at 5:01pm anyway. We will miss your magnetic presence and influence in person but know it's carried forward in each and every person who had the pleasure to meet you.
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