Colonel (retired) William Lee Spacy

Colonel (retired) William L. "Bill" Spacy passed away on the 9 ^th of August 2022 in Windcrest, Texas, he was 87. Colonel Spacy is survived by his wife of 68 years, Marcia E. Spacy and their four married children: Leigh S. Kilgore, Kim L. Murphy, Colonel (retired) William L. Spacy II, and Major General (retired) Bradley D. Spacy. They have eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Colonel Spacy is also survived by his sister Sharon Senesac who lives in Boswell, Indiana.

Colonel Spacy had a passion for life and true zest for adventure. He was a wonderful husband and father who took great delight in all his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He was fun-loving, competitive, and loved the outdoors. Bill had a deep sense of patriotism and service to country that led to an amazing military career and a lifetime of excitement and adventure for the entire family. Bill loved people of all kinds and he was always the brightest light in the room.

Bill was an Air Force Officer at heart, and his life developed around his military assignments. These assignments spanned the globe and provided amazing experiences that were the subject of the stories he loved to tell and write about.

William L. Spacy was born in Ambia, Indiana in the midst of the Great Depression, the fair-haired son of Hubert and Frances Spacy. He grew up with his younger sister Sharon in Boswell Indiana and was proud of the traditional upbringing that formed him into the man he would become.

The Spacys were a working family and Bill learned the value of hard work at a young age. Like many small-town children of his day, he helped put food on the table by detasseling corn, delivering newspapers, and working in a local service station. He was a star athlete in High School and a good student. He regularly attended the Church of Christ in Boswell where he became a Deacon. Bill loved his small town, but he had a strong desire for adventure that would take him around the world and back several times.

Immediately after graduating High School, Bill left home to study photography at Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale Illinois. Early in his college career he met his life-long sweetheart Marcia Dey, and they were soon married at the age of just 18. Bill's work ethic was put to the test as he worked several jobs to support his family while he and Marcia continued attending college classes. Bill was still a good student and became the President of his junior class. He and Marcia had both of their beautiful daughters before graduation.

Bill developed a love for flying as a young man while working at the local airport, which led him to join Air Force ROTC at SIU. Upon graduation he received his bachelor's degree in Photography and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force. This launched their young family into the lifetime of service, travel, and adventure he craved.

Bill was trained as a Navigator in the KC-97 and later KC-135 air refueling aircraft. He was first assigned to McGuire Air Force Base (AFB) in New Jersey and a short time later reassigned to the 903 ^rd Air Refueling Squadron at Beale AFB in California. The 903 ^rd tankers were the sole air refueling support for the famous SR-71 Blackbird spy plane that still holds numerous world speed records today. Bill loved being a part of this critical mission, and he loved working every day with some of the legends of aerospace. It was an exciting time to be at Beale, and Bill loved his job very much.

Beale turned out to be a long 8-year assignment where Bill spent much of his time flying throughout the far east. The flying was challenging, but these were good years for the family that now included the two boys. Winters were spent snow skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and summers were spent house boating and waterskiing on local lakes. In addition to flying, Lieutenant Spacy held numerous important jobs while at Beale and was promoted to Captain and Major.

Now a Major, Bill packed up his family and left Beale AFB for what would be a brief 18-month assignment to Headquarters, Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB in Nebraska before he was shipped off to U-Tapao Air Base in Thailand for a year without the family. His assignment to U-Tapao was to be the mission planner for U-2 reconnaissance aircraft operations during the Viet Nam War. This was a challenging assignment where Bill was not only involved in critical combat missions, but also gained a great appreciation for the culture of the Thai people. He took every opportunity to meet the people and explore the villages they lived in.

After this year-long remote tour, it was back "home" to Beale AFB where he was soon promoted to Lt. Colonel and given his first Command as the Squadron Commander for the 9 ^th Avionics Maintenance Squadron, providing key operational support to the SR-71. Squadron Command is a huge responsibility and Bill loved every minute.

After five more wonderful years at Beale AFB, the family was off to a new adventure this time at Zweibrucken Air Base in Germany. By now both girls had gone off to college and the boys were in High School. Germany brought all new challenges for Bill as he became the maintenance officer for the RF-4 reconnaissance aircraft and the family settled into the small German farm town of Battweiler. Bill worked hard but still made time to travel with the family around Europe snow skiing in the Swiss Alps and spending Spring breaks on the French Riviera. Bill and Marcia made life-long friends with their German neighbors to whom they remain close. Bill was promoted to full Colonel before they left Zweibrucken.

Germany was followed by what would become the highlight of Bill's career when he was assigned as the Commander of the 7276 ^th Air Base Group at Iraklion Air Station on the Greek Island of Crete. Here in the middle of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, Bill was in command of a sensitive intelligence base and a member of the US Ambassador's Country Team. The children visited Crete often and the family enjoyed learning the local culture and exploring the beautiful Greek Islands.

After three years of command, he was assigned back to the Headquarters, US Air Forces Europe at Ramstein Air Base Germany, where he spent the final three years of his career. He retired from the Air Force as a Colonel in 1988, after more than 30 incredible years.

Bill was not ready to settle down, however, and after a brief "retirement" in California, he and Marcia switched roles, and Marcia took a job as a reading specialist in Rota Spain. For the next 10 years, Bill played house husband and tour guide while he and Marcia lived in a mansion on the Spanish coast. As was normal for Bill, he immersed himself in the local culture and continued traveling the globe.

Marcia retired from teaching in 2000 and they finally (really) retired to Lutz, Florida where they were active members of the Fantastic First Methodist Church. Once again, Bill built a house designed for entertainment and enjoyed family visits more than anything. Bill and Marcia spent the past 20+ years traveling around the country visiting family and friends and watching their family grow. Bill was especially fond of offering military advice to his two sons, both officers in the US Air Force.

Colonel (retired) William L. Spacy had a wonderful life full of challenge and adventure. He was loved by family and friends, and he will be missed dearly.

The funeral and burial will be at 2:00 p.m. on October 2, 2022 at the Locust Grove Community Church and Cemetery in Ambia.