Nicholas Sprague Nicholas Keith Sprague, 76, of Rudyard, was a Korean War veteran who for many years served as a principal and teacher in the Rudyard school district. Mr. Sprague passed away peacefully at Mackinac Straits Hospital in St. Ignace Friday, December 19, 2008.

He was born February 13, 1932, in Rudyard, the son of Nicholas Abraham and Ruth Elizabeth (nee Moore) Sprague.

During his early years, Mr. Sprague's family lived in Sandusky, moving back to Rudyard in 1947.

He was a 1950 graduate of Rudyard High School.

Mr. Sprague served in the United States Navy from 1951 to 1955. During the Korean War, he served aboard the USS Hancock and was stationed in Bremerton, Seattle, San Diego, and Japan.

He married Elaine Maxine Dowd June 28, 1958.

Mr. Sprague attended the Sault Tech Branch of Michigan Technological University and was graduated from Western Michigan University in 1959 with a Bachelor's of Science in Education. He earned his M.A. in School Administration from Western Michigan University in 1963.

He taught in Richland until 1962, when he returned to Rudyard to teach. He served as the Turner- Howson Elementary School Principal for 12 years, then Title I coordinator for seven years, and then completed his career as a fifth grade teacher at Turner-Howson, retiring in 1988.

He was a member of the Grace Bible Church, Rudyard Historical Society, EUP Investment Club, Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel, the Co-Op Coffee Club, and the Friends of Bill W. His hobbies included woodworking, sports, yard work, wordfind puzzles, and reading.

Mr. Sprague had a quick wit and a clever sense of humor, friends said, and he was known for his one-liners, such as "The rate of learning should exceed the rate of forgetting," "You'll know what to do," and to teachers after a hard day at school, "Sure beats working, doesn't it?"

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elaine Sprague; two sons and their families, Matthew Sprague and Mark and Karen Sprague, all of Rudyard; one daughter and her family, Beth and Bryan Strong of Alpena; and six grandchildren, Jacob, Emma, and Benjamin Strong and Megan, Jonah, and Elijah Sprague. Survivors also include a brother and his family, Donald Eric and Artice Sprague of South Lyon; a nephew and his family, Kevin and Penny Sprague of Sault Ste. Marie; a brother-in-law and his family, Donner and Trish Dowd of Rudyard; and nieces and their families, Kimberly and Josh Vincek, Kelly and Marc Roe, and Kathy and Eric Demaray.

Visitation was Monday, December 22, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday, December 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Reamer Galer Funeral Home in Pickford.

Services were held Tuesday, December 23, at 1 p.m. at the funeral home, with Pastor Gene Harrison.

Burial will be in North Rudyard Cemetery in the spring.

Memorials may be made to the Rudyard Historical Society, P.O. Box 277, Rudyard, Michigan 49780 or to LMAS Hospice, 124 Elliott Street, St. Ignace, Michigan 49781.