Norman Spangler

I, Norman Spangler, was born on the Spangler farm, west of Deshler, in Bartlow Township in 1901 to my parents, Levi F. and Iva Spangler. I remained with them working at various kinds of work as well as helping on the farm until 1922 when I went in partnership with Lyman C. Rader, a Licensed Funeral Director and the business was known as Rader and Spangler Furniture and Undertaking in Deshler.

On July 15, 1923, I married Dorothy M. Fretter, at Middlepoint, Ohio. We went to Chicago where I entered the Worsham College of Embalming and received my license for the State of Ohio in November 1925. The business partnership continued until 1929. In January of that year we received a telephone call from Mr. and Mrs. W.F.C. Kinney of McClure, Ohio and Mrs.

Kinney's sister Hattie (Singer) Roach to tell us of the sudden death of their funeral director, Mr. J.E. Hutcheson, and also that the furniture store and undertaking business would be sold. We investigated the same day and found the location and town of McClure, a very desirable site.

On March 22, 1929, we purchased this part of the Hutcheson estate and moved to McClure on the 27th. We rented the house then owned by Ralph and Merle (Ballmer) Bland, now owned by Maurice Dull, and lived there until September. We then moved into the house belonging to Michael Longnecker, now owned by Ruth Richardson and her two children, Linda and Donald. We lived there until June 1932. During the time between March 1929 until June 1932 we operated the furniture store and doing the embalming of the undertaking business in the homes where death occurred, which was customary at this time. All during these years we felt the need of a funeral home in McClure.

We then bought the home built by F.W. Weideman (1896), later sold to Chas. W. Mollett then to George Jennings; his estate sold it to Ottomer and Rosa Warner. We remodeled this beautiful and historic home, opened it for public inspection June 6, 1932 for their approval as the first funeral home for McClure.

It is remembered by many as the Spangler Funeral Home. At this time we closed out our furniture business and devoted our entire time to the funeral and ambulance service.

With the acceptance of this home, we found as time passed that it was necessary to enlarge these facilities for better service for the people of the community. In September, 1941, we began the enlargement as planned and by June 6, 1942 it was completed and again open house was held for the public. We continued until June 1, 1953 when we sold the home to Robert and Donna McAllister. They continued operating until January 27, 1957 when the home burned. They then left the community and returned to Rich- wood, Ohio, their former home. Thus ended the Spangler-McAllister Funeral Home.

On April 12, 1935 a baby boy, Larry K., age five weeks, came to make his home with us. On July 10, 1955, Larry married Marilyn Stevens, daughter of George and Vena Stevens. To this union one son, Jeffery was born. In October 1957 they moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Sometime later they were divorced.

On January 27, 19A2 Larry married Patricia Picardi. They have two sons, Larry Jr. and Gregory. Jeffery was married June 26, 1976 to Denise Myers, daughter of James and Donna (Barber) Myers.

On July 27, 1941 a beautiful little girl, Marie, age 10 years, came to make her home with us. These two children made our house a home.

On November 24, 1948 Marie was married to William Rohrbaugh Jr., son of William and Freda (Moehrman) Rohrbaugh. They have two children, Victor Lynn and Rebecca Marie.

On August 16, 1969 Victor married Gwen Vajen, daughter of Robert and Margaret (Franz) Vajen. They have three children: Lauri Lynn, Ann Marie, and Chad Jon.

On June 21, 1975 Rebecca married Kenneth Hogrefe, son of Laurance and Delores (Nagle) Hogrefe. They have a son, Chris.

At this writing November 1976 we are retired and live at 610 Main St., McClure, Ohio.

Submitted by Dorothy and Norman Spangler