Obituary for Allen L. Sparkman
A man of faith, Allen Sparkman, a respected Texas and Colorado attorney, died peacefully on April 25, 2019 with family and friends at his side after a tragic and difficult battle with ALS. Allen was born in Corsicana Texas on November 16, 1945, and raised in Houston, graduating from Spring Branch High School. He obtained degrees with honors from Princeton in American History in 1968 and with high honors from the University of Texas Law School in 1973. He earned a certificate in Theology and Ministry from the Princeton Theological Seminary in 2015. He also served honorably in the U. S. Army from 1969-1971.
Allen began practicing law in Dallas, Texas in 1973 and moved his family to Boulder, Colorado in 1984. He practiced law in Colorado until 2008, when he began to practice law in Houston, Texas, in order to share his life with Adrienne Bond. Allen’s law practice included selecting and establishing business entities, business transactions, securities, tax, and lawyers’ professional responsibility. As a member of the Colorado Bar Association, he was chair of the Business Law Section and an active member of its Legislative Drafting Committee (the most important venue for which was his beloved Shelby’s, where all major issues of limited liability company law were debated and resolved), as well as a member of the CBA Ethics Committee. He also was a member of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee for Business and Commercial Laws and the Colorado reporter for State Limited Partnership Laws and State Limited Liability Company Laws while those were published by Aspen Law & Business. Well-known nationally, he wrote and lectured on these topics extensively, co-publishing a book on limited liability companies, and presenting more than 100 papers at continuing education programs for the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the University of Texas School of Law, the Professional Education Broadcast Network, the Practicing Law Institute, the National Business Institute, and others. Mr. Sparkman has been listed in THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA® for both Colorado and Texas. Most importantly, Allen was tirelessly available to his colleagues to discuss and assist with questions of law and life, and treated all with grace and good humor as he graciously shared his expertise and his time with those who were simply willing to call and ask for help.
Allen’s passions included jazz, and he was an active member of the Board of Directors of KUVO, the jazz station in Denver, Colorado. He was very active at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, where he was a regular at the Tuesday Men’s Bible Study, and he lead the bible study on Sunday. He was also an accomplished photographer.
Until two weeks before his death, Mr. Sparkman maintained his successful Texas and Colorado business law practice. In the email to his colleagues and friends about ending his practice, he stated: “I’m quitting the practice of law. I’m no longer going to represent that I will continue to follow developments in federal tax law, federal and state securities law, I’m no longer going to do legal witting. I’m going to spend whatever energy I have on communicating with my God, with Adrienne, with my kids, with my friends.”
In addition to his beloved Adrienne and her daughter Sarah, Mr. Sparkman is survived by Juliana, Miriam and David, his children, and by his church family at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the ALS Association in his honor.
The memorial service for Allen will be held at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 11 am. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the ALS Association in his honor.
Allen began practicing law in Dallas, Texas in 1973 and moved his family to Boulder, Colorado in 1984. He practiced law in Colorado until 2008, when he began to practice law in Houston, Texas, in order to share his life with Adrienne Bond. Allen’s law practice included selecting and establishing business entities, business transactions, securities, tax, and lawyers’ professional responsibility. As a member of the Colorado Bar Association, he was chair of the Business Law Section and an active member of its Legislative Drafting Committee (the most important venue for which was his beloved Shelby’s, where all major issues of limited liability company law were debated and resolved), as well as a member of the CBA Ethics Committee. He also was a member of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee for Business and Commercial Laws and the Colorado reporter for State Limited Partnership Laws and State Limited Liability Company Laws while those were published by Aspen Law & Business. Well-known nationally, he wrote and lectured on these topics extensively, co-publishing a book on limited liability companies, and presenting more than 100 papers at continuing education programs for the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the University of Texas School of Law, the Professional Education Broadcast Network, the Practicing Law Institute, the National Business Institute, and others. Mr. Sparkman has been listed in THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA® for both Colorado and Texas. Most importantly, Allen was tirelessly available to his colleagues to discuss and assist with questions of law and life, and treated all with grace and good humor as he graciously shared his expertise and his time with those who were simply willing to call and ask for help.
Allen’s passions included jazz, and he was an active member of the Board of Directors of KUVO, the jazz station in Denver, Colorado. He was very active at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, where he was a regular at the Tuesday Men’s Bible Study, and he lead the bible study on Sunday. He was also an accomplished photographer.
Until two weeks before his death, Mr. Sparkman maintained his successful Texas and Colorado business law practice. In the email to his colleagues and friends about ending his practice, he stated: “I’m quitting the practice of law. I’m no longer going to represent that I will continue to follow developments in federal tax law, federal and state securities law, I’m no longer going to do legal witting. I’m going to spend whatever energy I have on communicating with my God, with Adrienne, with my kids, with my friends.”
In addition to his beloved Adrienne and her daughter Sarah, Mr. Sparkman is survived by Juliana, Miriam and David, his children, and by his church family at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the ALS Association in his honor.
The memorial service for Allen will be held at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 11 am. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the ALS Association in his honor.