The Memorial Wall

John was born in 1942 to Jane Love Bratton Spratt and John McKee Spratt, Sr., in Charlotte, N.C. He grew up in York, SC. With the men away at war, little “Johnny” was initially raised in a house by three women he deeply loved: his mother; his aunt Martha Bratton Walker, who was like a second mother to him; and Sarah Elizabeth “Lizzie” Parks, who also raised his mother. Raised alongside him were his adored older sister, Jane Bratton Spratt McColl, and his cherished cousin who was like a sister to him, Martha Bratton “Cissy” McCord.

In 8th grade, John started dating his beloved wife, Jane Stacy Spratt, with whom he had a loving marriage for 56 years. He graduated from York High School and Davidson College. At both schools, he was president of the student body. He won a Marshall Scholarship to Oxford University, where he studied economics, and earned a law degree from Yale. He served as a captain in the Army from 1969-71 and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

In 1971, John came home to York to practice law with his father, whom he highly respected and loved. He was county and school district attorney, president of the Bank of Fort Mill, and owner of a farm and small insurance agency. Active in his community, he was an elder at First Presbyterian Church in York, president of the Chamber of Commerce and United Way, and chairman of the Board of Divine Saviour Hospital.

John served in Congress from 1983 to 2011. He was Chairman of the Budget Committee and was a leader in shaping the federal budget. One of his proudest accomplishments was the Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997, which put the federal budget in surplus for the first time in thirty years. John was also the second highest ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.

John was a loving, generous, intelligent, hardworking man who cared deeply for other people and tried to help all who needed it. His daughters, incredibly fortunate to have him as their father, went through life always hearing people of all walks of life tell them how much they loved and admired their father. By knowing their father and watching how kindly he treated everyone, they understood why people admired him so. He was a kind, giving, wonderful father and grandfather. He told imaginative bedtime stories; cooked delicious seafood after vacation days spent riding the ocean waves of his beloved South Carolina coast; and encouraged his daughters to achieve academically and professionally.

As his granddaughter Grace Brennan said, “He was just always willing to do anything we wanted to make us happy. I mean, there was a video of him getting up and doing the chicken dance with James.”

His granddaughter Lily Tendler wrote, “He was a man of deep love, boundless empathy, and infectious curiosity. He believed in the power of knowledge to transform lives, turning learning into a joyful game for his grandchildren—offering nickels for every history question answered correctly, spelling games, and nurturing passions for music and writing.”

John was deeply respected by his colleagues, friends, and family.

As President Biden wrote in a condolence letter to the family, “Guided by his wit, wisdom, decency, and grace, John deeply understood the promise of America, and he fought tirelessly to bring people together to help us live up to that promise.”

Former President Obama wrote, "John Spratt understood something that many politicians don’t: that the point of public service isn’t to make headlines or to put your approval rating on a shelf and admire it. It’s to make life better for the people you were elected to serve. That’s what John did again and again, and I will always be grateful for his vision, his decency, and his courage in the moments that mattered most. Michelle and I are thinking of John’s family and everyone who admired a deeply good man."

Congressman Jim Clyburn wrote, “Serving in Congress with John Spratt was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life…. His love of country and respect for humanity were always on display. He was an inconspicuous genius and the most ordinary, extraordinary person I have ever known.”

Former President Clinton wrote, “John Spratt was a skilled and deeply principled lawmaker…. He was masterful in his knowledge of policy and was willing to work with anyone to pass legislation that would make a difference in people’s lives. He had a unique ability of knowing when to hold the line and when to compromise, and it earned him the respect of all in Washington. I’ll always be grateful for the chance to work with him, especially on the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 which he co-authored and helped produce record surpluses. John was a true public servant and a really good man.”

College friend Joe Howell wrote, “Spratt…was a hero not just for me but for so many others. He was without question the smartest person I ever knew, and he was also the wisest. His quiet sense of humor and subtle wit were contagious. And despite all his accomplishments including serving his country in the House of Representatives, he never took himself too seriously. I can still see the twinkle in his eye, and hear his boisterous belly laugh.”

Friend and former staffer Tom Kahn wrote, “John Spratt is the most decent man I ever met. He was kind, generous, thoughtful, and courageous. And he was brilliant. He enjoyed the respect of all his colleagues, even the ones that disagreed with him. He did the toughest things because they were right. He supported gun control, civil rights, health care, and abortion, even though they were politically costly. But for John, it was more important to do the right thing, even if he paid a price.”

John is survived by his much-loved wife, Jane Stacy Spratt; his three daughters, Susan Elizabeth Spratt (David Tendler), Sarah Stacy Spratt (Brian Brennan), and Catherine Bratton Spratt; grandchildren Lily Isabella Spratt Tendler, Jack Harris Bratton Tendler, Max Louis Ormand Tendler, Jane Grace Brennan, and James Benjamin Spratt Brennan; sister Jane Bratton Spratt McColl (Hugh Leon McColl, Jr.); and many loved nieces, nephews, cousins, and other family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, John McKee Spratt, Sr., and Jane Love Bratton Spratt.

Born in Echo, MN on December 16, 1933, Laurie was the youngest and last surviving of six children, five brothers and a sister. He followed his older brothers to Carleton College in Northfield, MN, graduating in 1955 with BA in Political Science. A legendary basketball and baseball player in both high school and college, Laurie was remembered by many as the greatest athlete they had ever seen. His Carleton basketball high scoring and rebound records held for many years after his graduation, prior to the three-point rule. He went on to pitch for a Chicago White Sox baseball affiliate and was inducted as a member of the first class of athletes into the Carleton "C" Club Sports Hall of Fame.

Although a sports sage all his life, Laurie made his career as a commodity and financial futures trader. A close observer of how weather and politics moved markets, he traded in wheat, corn, soybeans, bonds and currencies. He started off from college in the cash grain business and then moved to futures and held a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade. In 1974, he moved to Billings, MT and started his own successful trading company, Western Commodities, Inc. There, he married Shiela (Priest), who shared his enthusiasm for travel and indulged his love of buying and selling houses and western art. They lived in many wonderful places in their 41 years of marriage, but considered Eugene, OR their home.

Laurie was a man of devotion, faith, and charity. He was devoted to his family and kept a quiet but abiding Christian faith. He gave generously to charitable causes and had a special place in his heart for animals, especially his dogs. But fish feared him. One of his great joys was the annual fishing trip to Canada with his siblings, children, and nieces and nephews.

Laurie is survived by his wife, Shiela; his children Sara Bonk (Mark), Chuck (Elizabeth), Susan, Tyler Priest (Landon), and P.J. Priest (Sarah); grandchildren Dylan, David, and Dan (Ashley) Bonk, Edith Lee, Carolyn and Mark Slocum, Mason Priest, and Lauren and Logan Priest; and great-grandchildren Gideon and Elowyn Bonk.