Montie J Sprouse's Obituary
Montie Joe Sprouse, 93, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully on September 14, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of love, service and unwavering dedication to family and community.
Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas on February 15, 1932, to Louis Taylor Sprouse and Darthula Reed-Sprouse, Montie grew up with a strong work ethic and deep sense of responsibility. A graduate of Fort Smith High School, he served in the U.S. Naval Reserves and in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.
Following his military service, Montie briefly returned to Fort Smith before moving to Tulsa, where he met the love of his life, Janis Dean Tinsley. The couple married on February 10, 1956, beginning a partnership that would span decades and create the foundation of a loving family.
Montie’s entrepreneurial spirit led him from jobs in construction and sheet metal work to founding Sprouse Air Inc., an air conditioning company he owned and operated until the mid-1980s.
From 1969 to 2017, Montie and Janis lived on their beloved farm in Bixby, complete with a charming white house at 171st and Harvard. For nearly 50 years, the farm was the heart of family life, hosting countless reunions, weddings and gatherings that created treasured memories for generations.
Farm life suited Montie perfectly. Often rising at 4 a.m. to tend horses and other farm animals before heading to work, then he would return home to continue his chores, maintaining his garden and tackling endless projects
Montie also loved to hunt and fish. In his younger years, he hunted moose, Dall sheep and grizzly bear. Throughout his life, he made several annual trips to Alaska for salmon and to South Dakota for pheasant. When age made those trips more difficult, he still managed to continue local trips around Oklahoma for catfish, stripers and hybrids.
Montie was preceded in death by his cherished wife Janis, his beloved mother whom he lost at the young age of 20, and many dear family members and friends who shaped his journey.
He is survived by his son Montie Taylor and wife Mary; grandsons Morgan and his wife Clary, and Samuel Blake and his wife Brya; son Gordon Wayne Sprouse and wife Lori; grandson William Andrew and wife Jayme; granddaughter Katie Sprouse-Dowdell and husband Gabe; and great-granddaughter Charlotte Kay Dowdell.
Those who knew Montie will remember him as a man who believed love was a verb and lived accordingly. He was a natural storyteller who loved to share jokes, sing songs, and collect records, particularly enjoying “both kinds of music—country and western” as well as gospel. His mischievous nature made him a beloved prankster but would never do anything to hurt someone’s pride or self-worth.
Most of all, Montie loved his family with everything he had, creating a legacy of devotion, hard work, and kindness that will live on through the many lives he touched.
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