Mary Lynn Sparling

1940 - 2024

Mary “Lynn” Sparling of Northport, Michigan, passed away peacefully on April 3, 2024 at the age of 84. Lynn was a Leap-Year baby who recently celebrated her 21st birthday on February 29, this year. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Lynn was the youngest girl of eight siblings. Her mother, Helen Kushner, raised the children while her father, John Kushner, worked as a chemist for Cadillac Motors. In the early 1960’s, Lynn and her sister Deanna Kushner Butterfield, met their respective husbands, John S. Sparling and Clark Butterfield on a ski trip at the Caberfae ski resort near Cadillac, Michigan. The two couples and their families celebrated many, many holidays together and remained best friends for decades. Lynn worked in the accounting department of Campbell-Ewald for several years before she and John were married on May 23, 1964. Then they moved to Rosedale Park in Detroit, where their daughter, Elizabeth (Brennan), was born in 1969. Lynn and John moved to Northport, Michigan, in 1995, where they built and furnished a lovely home on Lake Michigan. Lynn became an avid tennis player and played in tennis leagues for decades. She was also incredibly gifted as a designer and always had a project underway. She sewed lovely clothes and quilts and knit cozy, fashionable sweaters. She was fearless when it came to creating gorgeous stained glass window panes. A wonderful cook, Lynn enjoyed hosting “happy hour” parties and elegant dinner parties for her family and friends. Lynn and John also enjoyed backpacking with family and friends at Pictured Rocks in the Upper Peninsula as well in the Grand Tetons in Wyoming where they all became very proficient at warding off bears. Lynn is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth; son-inlaw Dwain Brennan; and grandson Owen Brennan, whom she adored. She also is survived by her brothers, Gary and Glen Kushner, and her many nieces and nephews. She will be missed.