Jonathan J. Sparrow

Following less than two years of cancer treatment, Jonathan Sparrow passed away surrounded by loved ones on Wednesday, July 26, 2023

There’s much sadness from those family and friends he left behind, but it was understood it was time for him to fill out one more lineup card with his equally loved and missed dad, Stanwood. Much to the chagrin of some Little League parents, it is expected that the lineup card would prioritize making sure every 11-year-old got to play and felt special and needed, rather than focusing on winning the game.

Jon was the model of what a big brother should be to his sisters Amy and Katie, where he was equally adept at protecting them, loving them, and telling them they were being a pain in the butt. Even if one of them may have been more of a pain in the butt than the other, those things seemed to even out over the years, and Jon always loved them with all his heart.

In junior high, one teacher once complimented Jon on his “dry sense of humor.” Now, having a dry sense of humor may not exactly be the extreme mark of coolness for a bunch of seventh graders, but luckily, he was on the right path, and once again, everyone fell in line over the years and saw that under that dry sense of humor was a kind and loving man who would do anything for his friends and family.

The Sparrow house was always open to Jon’s friends, even if (most) of his friends knew not to sit in Stan or Liz’s recliner, and there was always an extra seat at the dinner table.

At some point in high school (that point being the Washington, D.C. class trip junior year), Jon was knighted with the nickname Hoagie. He wasn’t 100 percent sold on the nickname at first, but it stuck, especially among his closest friends, who spent countless hours playing wiffle ball, football, riding in his orange Ford Fiesta, listening to the Grateful Dead, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and other assorted activities of the type teenagers in the 1980s might have been up to if you use your imagination.

Jon met the love of his life, Heidi, in 2015 and they were married in 2017. In this new chapter in his life, Jon took to being a loving, caring husband and stepfather to Kaitlyn, Katherine, and Timothy with even more enthusiasm than he had lived his life before. They bought a home in Bellingham and, together, they enjoyed attending local events and dining out at different restaurants. Jon took great joy in traveling to Vermont and introducing his family to his Vermont cousins. On more than one occasion Jon referred to the cabin in Vermont as his “happy place.”

Jon shared a particularly close bond with his nephews, Stan and Joey. If he wasn’t at their house playing basketball, baseball or engaged in a squirt gun fight—he could be found on the sidelines cheering them on at basketball or lacrosse. His niece, Kate, and nephews Will and Amine enjoyed his playfulness including his willingness to get down on all fours so they could pretend he was a horse (or donkey).

Jon could be a man of few words, but he always used those words to make those around him feel loved, safe, and like they belonged.

Jon will be sadly missed by his wife, Heidi Sparrow; his stepchildren, Kaitlyn and Katherine McKee and Timothy Barrett; mother, Elizabeth Sparrow; sisters, Katie Kiley (husband, Tim [and sons, Stan and Joe]) and Amy Daugherty (husband, Kirk [and children Will and Kate]). Jonathan was predeceased by his father, Stanwood Sparrow in 2005.

Visiting hours will be held Tuesday, August 8, 2023, beginning at 5:00 pm with an informal tribute for family and friends to share thoughts and memories from 6:45 to 7:00 pm at the Fournier & Fournier Funeral Home, 463 South Main St. Woonsocket, RI. The family welcomes you to continue sharing memories at a celebration of life on August 8th following the visitation.

Burial at Nemasket Hill Cemetery in Middleborough will be private.

Gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Jon’s memory to support cancer research and patient care at:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

P.O. Box 849168

Boston, MA 02284

or via dana-farber.org/gift.

Gifts also may be made to Middleboro Little League in Jon’s memory at:

Middleboro Little League

PO Box 261

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Jonathan J. Sparrow, please visit our floral store.