A Celebration of the Life of Frankie Lee Spraggs, Jr.

Sunrise 06-16-1964
Sunset 10-10-2019

Frankie Lee Spraggs, Jr. was the first-born son of Frankie Lee Spraggs, Sr. and Barbara Ann Hughes. He entered into the world on Tuesday, June 16, 1964 in Bronx, New York and has made a profound and lasting impact in the lives of many people. As a young child, Frankie had a big heart and a big smile. He was full of energy, love and loyalty to his parents, and a devoted big brother to his siblings, Shawn and Michelle. He grew up with a strong affection for the great outdoors, and a love for animals, especially horses and dogs. This undoubtedly was born from the many horseback riding outings through the scenic trails of Van Cortlandt Park that his mom took him on as a child, and from her buying him his first dog, Prince, a German Shepherd, in 1974.

Frankie grew from Christian roots. He loved God and developed faith and belief in The Almighty as a youngster in Grace Gospel Church Vacation Bible School in the Bronx. Additionally, his grandmother, the late Della Ellis, was pivotal in building his faith throughout her lifetime. It was his quiet faith in God that brought him strength, optimism, and resiliency in the face of incredible challenges in his life. Frankie was an intelligent, goal-oriented individual. He attended Walton High School in Bronx, NY where he took up culinary arts and swimming and became a licensed life-guard. Frankie longed to travel and see the world. He participated in The Navy Cadets while in High School, a program for teenagers who desire to join The United States Navy. After graduating from Walton High School in 1983, Frankie immediately joined The United States Navy and served honorably for four years as a Navy Hospital Corpsman. While in The Navy, Frankie was stationed many places on land and sea throughout the United States and the world including Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and Okinawa, Japan. It was while he was in The Navy that he developed lifelong friendships with other Naval Hospital Corpsmen and with some of The United States Marines whom he cared for medically. Frankie shared a special bond with his "military brothers", a bond which has endured for more than 30 years. Upon leaving The Navy in 1987, Frankie lived and worked in North Carolina for several years before moving back up north. In the north, Frankie has lived and worked for most of his life in Pennsylvania near to his beloved mother, siblings, aunts, nephews, nieces and cousins, all of whom he absolutely cherished. There were no distant relatives with Frankie.

Not surprisingly, because of his love for adventure and travel, and his free-spirit, Frankie has also lived and worked in New York City, Connecticut, and Kentucky. There is not a state where Frankie has lived where he has not developed and cultivated lifelong friendships. Although Frankie never married and never had his own biological children, he had many women and children in his life. He had a profound relationship with his mother. Their love and devotion to one another was supreme. They cared for each other daily and had each other's back through thick and thin; but that's not all, Frankie had three maternal aunts who were all like mothers to him as well. Another one of Frankie's greatest joys in life was taking care of and spending time with his nephews and nieces. Uncle Frankie was the proudest and most devoted uncle in the world to not only his sister's children, but also to all of his friends' children as well. He was "Uncle Frankie" to all of the children that he loved in his life, and they all loved him right back! Frankie cherished relationships more than he cherished possessions. He would give you any of his belongings, furniture or clothing if you expressed an interest in it. He was the type of man who would give you his last dollar, who would provide a listening ear for hours, offer the soundest of advice, and brighten your day with his booming laugh and bear hugs. To know him was to love him.

Frankie accomplished much during his lifetime. He graduated from DeSales University with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, and from Walden University with a Master's Degree in Clinical Counseling. He held many positions in the mental health field including Clinical Therapist where he received great professional satisfaction in helping others to better their lives. Frankie at one time owned two horses named April and Shelly, and has owned many different breeds of dogs with Rottweilers and German Shepherds being his favorites. Frankie was an avid and skilled cook, and enjoyed making meals for and with his family. He lived life to the fullest and even purchased and learned to ride a motorcycle. However, his legacy is not in his tangible accomplishment, but rather in the indelible mark that he left on all of our hearts. He loved us all, friends and family alike. In fact, there was no demarcation for him; he truly considered his friends to be a part of his family and his family to be a part of his circle of friends. He would have laid down his life for any one of us. In fact, the bible speaks of our Beloved Uncle Frankie in John 15:13 when it says, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down his life for his friends." Frankie departed this life on the morning of Thursday, October 10, 2019. He would be honored if we remembered him not for any illness or adversity he experienced in life, but rather for his legacy of love and commitment to us all.

Preceding him in death were his maternal grandparents, Florie Hughes and James Gaines, his paternal grandparents, Della and Edward Ellis, and his father, Frankie Lee Spraggs Sr. Frankie is survived by his beloved mother, Barbara Ann Hughes, his brother, Shawn M. Spraggs, his sister, Michelle Spraggs Winters, one sister-in-law, Halima A. Spraggs, one brother-in-law, Daniel K. Winters Sr, four aunts, Judy Gould, Lorencia Berry, Marian Gaines, and Lorean Spraggs, one uncle, Larry Gould, three nephews and three nieces, Daniel K. Winters Jr, Andre E. L. Winters and his wife, Shylee Winters, Michael X. Winters, Hana M. Winters, and Malia M. Winters, and nine first cousins, Keisha Berry, Monica Gould, Dwayne Velasquez, Lori Rodriguez, Kevin and Keith Green, and Derrick, Kenisha, and Keshonda Gause, and a host of loving extended family members, life-long friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Monaghan Funeral Home, Red Hill.  (215) 679-6400