This story was originally published Nov. 27, 2005. It is being republished for the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina as part of The Times-Picayune's Pulitzer-winning coverage.

Susie Joseph Sparks, 1959-2005

Edward Sparks Jr., 1992-2005

Marjorie Edwards, 1920-2005

Edward "Cool Pop" Sparks Sr. rarely took vacations. There were the occasional bus trips to the Gulf Coast casinos, and every once in a while he'd travel to Atlanta to see the Saints play the Falcons.

But Sparks, 54, was more likely to use vacation days from his job as a Regional Transit Authority bus driver to take care of his elderly aunt, Marjorie Edwards, a former nurse who suffered from diabetes.

"He never took a week for himself," said Sparks' younger sister, Gwendolyn Sparks, a Gentilly resident now living with 13

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