Shirley Sparks Vincent

Shirley Sparks Vincent, born on June 1, 1934, left the earth to be with her Heavenly Father, after a long battle with dementia, on January 10, 2018.             Visitation will be held Saturday, January 13th at 9:00 A.M., at Searcy Funeral Home and Crematory Chapel in Enterprise with a service to follow at 11:00 A.M., with Reverend Steve Warren officiating. Burial will follow in Meadowlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donation may be made to Alzheimer’s Association Research, PO Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011, by phone, 800-272-3900.             Shirley was born in Jefferson County, Alabama and her family moved to Birmingham where she graduated from Phillips High School. Shirley attended and graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in home economics. Shirley began working in Hartford where she met her husband, Maurice R. (“Vince”) Vincent, who was stationed at Ft. Rucker. Shirley raised five children with Vince serving in the military for 20 years. Shirley later worked as a Social Worker for the State of Alabama. Shirley was a long-time member of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Enterprise.             Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, Retired Lt. Col. Maurice R. Vincent; her parents, John Franklin Sparks and Lena King Sparks; her brothers, John Sparks and Jack Sparks; her sisters, Margorie Cosby and Helen Warner and her son, John Thomas Vincent.             Shirley is survived by her daughter, Carol A. McMichael (Timothy) of Enterprise, who was Shirley’s primary care giver during Shirley’s fight with dementia; sons, Gary S. Vincent (Jill) of Southside, AL; Andrew M. Vincent (Kristina) of Lynn Haven, FL; Christopher T. Vincent (Kristine) of Pensacola, FL; daughter-in-law, Ann Vincent of Huntsville, AL. Shirley is survived by her siblings, Mike Sparks and Virginia Bell. Shirley loved her grandchildren, Beth Vincent Kelley (Jacob); Susan Vincent; Stephen Vincent (Rachel); Julie Vincent Willey (Grant); Tyler Vincent (Kristen); Karen Vincent; Linda Vincent and Joshua McMichael. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, James and Ava Ray Kelley and Sage and Ivy Vincent. She also loved each cousin, niece and nephew with unconditional love.             The family would like to thank First Light of Dothan 119, who provided services for Shirley for the past two years. A special thanks to Theresa Thornton, who has provided services to Shirley for the past year. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Shirley Sparks Vincent, please visit our flower store.