By Scott Sandlin Journal Staff Writer
Steve and Jane Sprague spent a year planning a trip to the Chinese birthplace of Tai Chi Chuan, the Taoist martial art that Steve had practiced for almost three decades. The 2002 trip was in celebration of their 35th wedding anniversary.
But no planning could prepare them for the worst. Steve got sick Dec. 28 in Xian, China, with what they later learned was bacterial cerebral meningitis. He died early Friday from complications from the disease at the age of 61, after a trip that took him from Xian to Wuhan, then to the intensive care unit of hospitals in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Albuquerque.
Sprague had been at home for a month receiving hospice care from nurses and close family, including his wife, Jane, who is the arts administrator for the city, and his daughter, Edna, a lawyer at Legal Aid of Albuquerque.
He is also survived by his mother, Edna Jane Sprague; brother Joe and his wife, Linda Sprague; sister Sharon Sprague and her husband, Bob Lee; and niece Susanna Jane Sprague, all of Albuquerque; and nephew Blake Catherwood Magnusson of New York City.
A funeral service is planned for 3 p.m. Friday at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral, 318 Silver SW. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to Albuquerque Community Foundation/arts and cultural projects; St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church; or New Mexico Legal Aid.
Sprague was born in Colorado Springs, Colo., to regional history author Marshall Sprague and Edna Jane Sprague.
He graduated from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey in 1959, earned a bachelor of arts degree at Colorado College in 1964 and a juris doctorate from University of New Mexico School of Law in 1969.
Between undergraduate and law school, he spent a year in New York City as a VISTA volunteer, living down the street from black activist Betty Shabazz's bakery.
It was there that he met Jane, whom he married in December 1967 in Denver, her home town.
"I was attracted to his sense of joy and reverence for life, compassion and ability to enjoy people's foibles, joys and sorrows as well," Jane Sprague said. "And he was a great dancer."
For his 60th birthday, the couple had a big party at the Outpost Performance Space, with plenty of live music and a dance floor.
Another connection was art. Together, the couple began amassing a collection of works by contemporary New Mexico artists.
Jane said Steve had studied drawing at Pratt Institute while he was a VISTA volunteer and talked about resuming art classes when he retired from practicing law.
The sensibilities that drew Jane to him also served him well at Atkinson & Kelsey, a law firm that specializes in family law, colleagues said.
Just days before leaving on the China trip, he wrapped up the successful representation of a French father seeking custody of his 11/2-year-old daughter after the death of the girl's mother in Albuquerque. While the experience was intense, he enjoyed being able to speak French and to vindicate the father's right to be with his child, Jane Sprague said.
Recently retired Bernalillo County Family Court Judge Anne Kass said Sprague's peaceful demeanor and non-adversarial approach naturally led him to co-found the New Mexico Mediation Association in the 1980s and a family law "inn of court," devoted to teaching and exchange among attorneys.
"The federal judges put one together for federal court, and Steve thought, 'What a good idea.' Because if lawyers trusted each other ...they would learn to work more cooperatively.
"That's his legacy as a lawyer," she said.
Attorney Jim Nye met him practicing law in the same building but became fast friends during trips cross-country skiing or fly-fishing the quality waters of the San Juan. Nye said they loved to rant about Republicans and discuss science fiction, rock and roll, and Steve's hobby of beekeeping.
Attorney Sandy Siegel's friendship developed along similar lines.
"We would try to play tennis early Saturday mornings. He got the Most Oddly Dressed Tennis Player award. He would show up in a sports jacket and mismatched socks. He looked funny, but often he would beat me," Siegel said.
Sprague had a Quixotic bent, often finding himself an innocent bystander in situations in which someone needed to be rescued, Siegel said.
Siegel, a Republican, said he enjoyed having reasoned political discussions with his liberal friend.
Both were members of a discussion group reading Plato. More than anybody in the group, Siegel said, Sprague was passionate about the ideals of justice and equality expressed in "The Republic" and found them relevant to his life.
"He was more alive than most people that you meet," he said. "I give him a strong letter of reference for going to heaven."
obits 
E-mail Story
Print Friendly
