Rev. Forney Monroe Spargo

Rev. F.M. (Forney Monroe) Spargo died peacefully at the Robin Johnson House (Gaston Hospice) Sunday morning, February 23, 2020. He was 103 years old. He was born February 5, 1917, and grew up near Rock Road in Stanley in the house which his father built. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Katherine Loftin Spargo. They were married for 64 years. Rev. Spargo came from a large family. His father married a widowed mother following the death of his first wife (due to complications in childbirth) and a new family of sixteen children came into being. Rev. Spargo was the second youngest, and last living of all the children. Though F.M. and Katherine had no children of their own, they were parents to the many children they pastored over many years. Rev. Spargo grew up in the years surrounding the Great Depression and jobs were hard to find. After High School, his Uncle got him a job in the textile factory and he worked there until joining the Navy. Rev. Spargo served our county in the Second World War (1943-1945) and was part of the armed forces fighting at Okinawa at the close of the war. He served aboard the USS Keokuk as a 2nd Class Naval Petty Officer. After his service in the Navy, Rev. Spargo entered Holmes College of the Bible and studied there from 1946-1949, with a Th.B. (Bachelor of Theology). During his final year at Holmes, he pastored the Asheville and Pisgah View Churches. He preached the a.m. service in Asheville, then traveled to the Pisgah View Church to preach and minster in the afternoon, and then back to Asheville to preach in the p.m. service. At the end of the day, he would travel back to Holmes College of the Bible to be ready for classes the next day. Later, Rev. Spargo continued his studies at King’s Business College and blessed the churches he served with solid business principles and practices. Rev. Spargo joined the Stanley Pentecostal Holiness Church in 1939 (Stanley PHC was organized and chartered in 1935). He remembers serving the Stanley PHC in every capacity the church had except Sunday School Superintendent (trustee, teacher, deacon, and all other areas of service). He has always loved the church, its people, its ministry, and most of all, our Lord. He was licensed as a minister in May, 1947 and ordained in May, 1949. Rev. Spargo served the following churches: Asheville, and Pisgah View (1 year), Charlotte (1 year), Kannapolis (3 years), Stanley (2 years), Hurt (6 years), South Henderson (6 years), Gastonia (4 years), High Point (6 years), and both East Marion (1 year) and West Marion (1 year) as interim. During his years pastoring, Rev. Spargo took one year out to serve as a full-time Evangelist - sometimes holding revivals that lasted as much as eight (8) weeks in length. He has served the Lord as a Pastor for more than 30 years retiring in 1979, and has served as interim pastor many times for churches in the Cornerstone Conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. 

Rev. F.M. Spargo’s surviving family members are: Nephews: David Spargo, Jack Spargo, Bob Helton, and Great Nephews: Don (Vickie) Helton, Ted Helton, Steve (Dotsie) Helton, Tommy Spargo, Chad Spargo and Michael Spargo, and Great Niece: Rosemary Riveria.

A service to celebrate the life of Rev. Spargo will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 28, 2020 at Stanley Pentecostal Holiness Church. Dr. Danny Penny will officiate. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Gardens Cemetery, Mount Holly. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at the church. 

Condolence messages may be sent to the family by visiting www.woodlawnfuneral.org. Woodlawn Funeral Home of Mount Holly is serving the family.

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