Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Sprinkle, III

Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Sprinkle, III, 89, of Morganton peacefully passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2019.  Born in Caldwell County, NC on July 16, 1929, he was the son of the late Benjamin Franklin Sprinkle, Jr. and Jewel Hartley Sprinkle.

Frank was a graduate of Oak Ridge Military Academy and Duke University.  He was physically active until recently and his hobbies included hiking, golf, scuba diving, and flying.  At age 73 he hiked the Inca Trail in Peru.  Frank spent much of his youth with his grandfather, Joseph Hartley, hiking the Grandfather Mountain Profile Trail.  He was a strong supporter of education of young men and women.

In 1953 he moved to Morganton with his family where he worked as a businessman for 65 years.  He owned and operated Sprinkle Oil Company until 1971, which served 4 counties.  In 1972, Frank oversaw the building of the Muses bookstore.  It was owned and operated by his wife, Shirley, and his daughter, Kelly.  Frank opened Valley Rental Centers in Morganton in 1974.  He later added a Lenoir store with his son, Ben, and a Hickory store with his son-in-law, Miklos.  In 2004, Frank renamed the Morganton location to All-About Rentals, which closed in 2018.  Valley Rental Centers is still in operation in Lenoir.

Frank is survived by his wife, Shirley B. Sprinkle; children, Linda Kelly Treiber of Morganton, Francis Eisner Tilmon (Melvin) of Atlanta, GA, and Ben D. Sprinkle (Paula) of Lenoir; grandchildren, B. Nathan Eisner (Katherine) of Atlanta, Kyle Treiber Spencer (Richard) of Cambridge, England, Kimberly Treiber of Miami, FL, Alana Eisner of Atlanta, B. Daniel Sprinkle (Morgan) of Brevard, NC, and Kathryn Sprinkle of Lenoir; great-grandchildren, Jocelyn M. Spencer, Alexia B. Spencer, Ben T. Sprinkle, Boone P. Sprinkle, and Calista R. Spencer.

In addition to his parents, Frank was preceded in death by a grandson, Colin G. Treiber; and son-in-law, Miklos Treiber.

The family will hold a private celebration of Frank’s life.

Memorial contributions may be made to Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, P.O. Box 129, Linville, NC 28646, Sprinkles Adopt from Thailand (a gofundme account), or the NC School of Math and Science, Morganton Campus.

Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.