Richard Spees was born Dec 11, 1927 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Dean Waldo Spees and Theresa Kincaid. A Graduate of Tulsa Central, he attended Spartan School of Aeronautics and served 4 years in the Navy, San Diego, Pacific Theater, China, Bahrain and Alaska as a Cook. He served on the Ashtabula, a Destroyer in the North Pacific, a navy carrier and with Merchant Marines. He married Marjorie Anna Bacon of Tulsa, who passed in Jan, 2011. He acquired a pilot's license and dusted crops in Indiana. He worked with Gleason Romans Pipeline, Bow Pipeline and Bigheart Oil as Chief Pilot out of Tulsa. He was a long time QB member. He attended FUMC for many years, then joined the COG 7th Day in East Tulsa. He retired and employed with Swinny's Hardware in downtown Tulsa, and even owned a doughnut shop for a time in the Jenks area.
He gave by his Christian faith to the members at FUMC, to community, mission support in Costa Rica and traveled to Israel to see the land of his faith. He was spiritually moved while in Israel and truly blessed by this sojourning.
His children are Elizabeth Corn who passed in 1993, and surviving are Stephen Spees of Sand Springs and Donna Bruton of Broken Arrow and his cousin, Carolyn Henning of Tulsa.
Grandchildren are Rachael Gordon and Serai Davis of Wagoner, Aleah Tarpley of Haskel, Summer Cornelius of Glenpool, Jason Spees of Austin, TX, Lee Spees of San Antonio, TX, Timothy Spees of TX, Patrick Howard of Minnesota, Lori Taylor of GA, Lindsey Meek, of Germany, Daniel Ingram of GA and Josh Ingram of Hawaii. He was blessed with 14 great grand children and 2 great great-grand children.
Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 3, 2017 at the Church of God 7th Day with reception to follow at the church.