Captain I, OCD-A
Deceased:
June 11, 2015
Appointed:
02/20/1971
Pensioned:
Service 07/27/2008 – OCD-A
Services:
TBA
Donations:
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, PLEASE SEND DONATIONS TO:
Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund
PO BOX 41903
Los Angeles, CA 90041
I worked with Sparkie for about 17 years at the LAFD’s Dispatch Center. What a neat guy. Very competent and friendly. He was a pleasure to interact with. Always open to others opinions and suggestions. He is missed by many. Rest in peace Sparkie. My condolences to Carol and the kids.
I had the honor to work with Sparkie a couple of times when I was on the job. He was my tillerman at FS 27 in the mid 70’s and always did a terrific job. I had another chance to work with him for a little more than 2 years at Arson when I went there as a Captain. Sparkie did a great job wherever he went. He was a true professional and a dedicated family man. My condolences to Carol, his kids and grandkids.
Great guy, great fireman, great Marine. RIP, Semper Fi Sparky.
Everyone who worked with Sparkie knows what a great person he was. He and I first met at FS27, he was my Tillerman and always very helpful with the rig and was fun to have around the station. We had a chance to work together at Arson when I was assigned there as a Captain. Sparkie was a great Investigator who was liked and respected by everybody. I’m going to miss seeing him at retirement dinners and exchanging stories about “the old days”. My condolences to Carol, his children and grandchildren.
I met Sparkie at FS108 when we received our training to become a floor
Captain. Sparkie had the advantage of being a dispatcher previously.
He had a good understanding of things were supposed to operate which he gladly shared with me. He was a good story teller and made the job enjoyable. After retirement we attended several retiree functions together, partly because we lived close to each other but also because he was good company. I was just getting ready to call him about the upcoming luncheon at old 27’s when I received a phone call about his sudden passing. You left too soon old friend and I will miss attending functions with out you.
People like Sparkie are few and far between these days. He WILL be missed.
His laid back style was sometimes misunderstood, but make no mistake, when something was serious, he was right there in the mix, fighting for what was right, and using old school common sense when others weren’t.
Like so many others, I can honestly say, that I am a better person for having known and worked with him, because he cared not only about the job, but the humans who were involved.
(Oh, and thanks for making me look up the word ‘recalcitrant’)
My condolences to Carol and family… you were blessed for many years, but not nearly long enough.
RIP Sparkie
I worked with Sparkie Captain John Hollway for 14 years. He made coming to work fun. He knew something about everything well read. Sparkie had a great life he was all city football player U.S. Marine, Staff Assistant, Arson Investigator, and Captain. Most importantly he was a good husband and father who loved his wife Carol and his children. I loved working with Sparkie he could talk and he made things interesting. He use to tell me and Captain Reggie Williams he was a great biz whiz player. He said he learned in the Marines hanging out with the brothers. I use to say sure Sparkie. He use to tell me he wanted to come back as “PIP” back up singer for “Gladys Knight”. The ironic thing was he knew the songs. He had his own set of colored pens for completing the daily journal entries. His penmanship was flawless. Sparkie was very detail oriented. He use to keep a Firemen’s calendar and at the beginning of each year he would make entries for the whole year, birthdays, anniversaries, graduation, Dinners etc. He was a SOD HOG like me. He had the intelligence, charm and personality to fit in any social gathering. Most importantly Sparkie truly loved his wife Carol and his children. He will truly be missed.
Love you Sparkie
Sparkie and I met as we were taking the LAFD physical agility test at the Police Academy. We were both cops at he time. We went through the Tower together and our paths crossed many times during our time on the job. We worked as partners together in Arson and in and around one another my whole career. The last time together was at one of our Arson luncheons. A great way to remember a great guy. Sparkie was a good fireman, good Investigator, good Captain and a good friend.
Sharon and I will miss him.
I am saddened to hear that “Sparky” Hollway has passed away, John was my partner at Arson when I went through training back in the early 80’s, he was a excellent investigator and again our paths crossed on a daily basis whe he was at OCD and I worked in Battalions and mostly Division (1,2&3). Unfortunately when you retire and you loose touch with those who made a difference in your career, this is the next time you here about them.
God bless the Holloway family.
The written word cannot reflect the true meaning of the relationship I shared with Brother Spark (that’s what I called him) He was first a leader and mentor to me when I reported to the Hydrant Unit as a new inspector, then a valued and trusted companion, friend, sounding board, advice giver, complaint listener, and just great all-around good guy, when we worked together at OCD. His devotion to the job and especially to the members is what I will remember the most, I was blessed enough to be in the locker room to witness first hand how much he cared. Sometimes we would just sit and talk and talk and talk til I realized that my shift on the floor was coming up soon and I had not gotten any sleep. But those talks were well worth the price because we had solved the world’s problems and I had had a glimpse into the mind of Sparky Holloway. Thou physically missed, spiritually he will be a part of my life forever.
I just learned of Sparkie’s passing. We worked together at OCD, and it was a lot of fun. We both went to the same high school, married girls from the same high school and had the same friend’s from the same high school, Westchester High, by LAX. Sparkie was a member of the football team that won the city title when there was the LA City School system. OCD was truly a time of turmoil as we were implamenting the Claussen cards, and with all the challenges of a new dispatch floor, Sparky was always the pillar that could be relied on to bring sanity to a crazy and sometimes chaotic time on the floor. Carol, and kids, your husband and father loved you and really enjoyed the time he spent with you and was looking forward to retirement, it was cut way to short.
When intelligence meets humor you get Sparky Holloway….Rest in Peace Sparky.. Tough Christmas for his family without the train man