Jack Spurlock

Funeral service for Jack Spurlock will be 11 a.m., Thursday, March 27, at Eden Mennonite Church with Rev. Cecil Spurlock, Rev. Kevin Spurlock, and Rev Ron Kohler officiating. Burial will follow at Eden Mennonite Cemetery under the direction of MMS-Payne Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Claremore. Visitation will be held at the funeral home Wed. 1-8 p.m. Family will greet friends from 6-8 p.m.

Jack passed away Sat. March 22, 2014, in Tulsa at the age of 88.

The son of John and Bertha (Horner) Spurlock, he was born Sept. 8, 1925 in Inola. His family lived and farmed in the Verdigris river bottoms. As a child he attended Gregory Elementary School. At the age of 14, Jack had to leave school to help on the family farm. His first job was to haul drinking water to the pipeliners working nearby. At the age of 17, Jack entered the U.S. Navy serving in the Pacific during WWII. After his discharge, Jack again began playing his favorite sport, baseball. He was so accomplished that he played at the minor league level. His skill of the game even helped him land his first job with Bechtel Corporation, an international oil pipeline company. He played on the company team stationed in Saudi Arabia, while working as an oil pipeliner. When he finished his job overseas, Jack returned to Claremeore, where he was set up on a blind date with a young girl named Wanda Loewen. They married on April 2, 1952, in Modesto, CA, and made their home in Claremore.

Jack continued working overseas, working in places such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt, Indonesia, Colombia, and Kuwait where he helped extinguish the fires started during Desert Storm. Jack continued working overseas until he retired at the age of 74. He continued to work state side for Belger for a little longer. Jack considered work his favorite hobby. He also enjoyed working alongside his sons, son-in-law, and brother-in-law while overseas. He enjoyed politics and considered himself a yellow dog democrat. In his spare time Jack enjoyed watching football cheering for the Dallas Cowboys, baseball cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals, and basketball.

Jack was an active member of local union 627 Operating Engineers. He was passionate about workers’ rights, health, safety, and compensation. He was instrumental in securing break times for workers morning and afternoon. In addition to his membership in local 627, Jack was a 32nd degree mason.

He is preceded in death by his first wife, Wanda, brothers, Roy, Cecil, Paul, Lynn, and Jay Spurlock, and sister, Betty "Sis" Gregory.

Jack is survived by children Ben Spurlock of Claremore, Jack N. Spurlock and wife, Karen, of Owasso, and Donna Trammell and husband, Mel, of Claremore; grandchildren Casey Trammell and wife, Cristi, Nick Trammell and wife, Erica, Sam Trammell, Tresha Edney, Elizabeth Spurlock, Annie Spurlock, Matthew Spurlock, and Madison Spurlock; and great-grandchildren Adeline Trammell and Kynlie Baird.

His wife, Lucille Pile Spurlock, of the home; her children Gayle Foster and husband, Ron, and Traci Kirk and husband, Mike, all of Coweta