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Obituary for Byrle L. Spillers
Byrle L. Spillers, 98 of Redfield passed away on Monday, September 21, 2020 due to natural causes, non-COVID related, surrounded by his family at the Community Care Center in Stuart. Graveside memorial service will be held at 2 P.M. on Saturday, June 19th at the Violet Hill Cemetery in Perry. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Redfield American Legion and/or the Redfield United Methodist Church and may be sent in care of Johnson Family Funeral Home, PO Box 246, Stuart, IA 50250.
Byrle was born in Redfield on August 7, 1922 to Charles Oscar Spillers and Bertha Thompson Spillers. He started school in first grade in Adel and later attended school in Redfield graduating from Redfield High School with the class of 1940.
Byrle entered the Army Air Force on July 6, 1942. He went overseas on March 15, 1943 and served in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre during World War II. He was awarded an Air Medal, nine Oak Leaf Clusters and flew 50 missions as a top turret gunner in a Flying Fortress B-17. When he returned to the U.S. he taught gunnery school before his honorable discharge.
On April 26, 1944 he was united in marriage to Deloris Hartzell and in the following years had three daughters: Carol Ann, Tana, and Sheila. His family grew to include sons-in-law, Kenny Cushman; two grandsons, Brett and Bryan Cushman; Brick Schnobrich, James Kirkpatrick, and Dr. Mark Edwards.
Following the service his working years included being a meat cutter in Earlham, grain buyer at Iowa Soya in Redfield, R.G. Dickinson brokerage firm in Des Moines, and retiring from being part owner of the Dexter Elevator in 1976. He has been a longtime member of the Methodist Church, having served on the board as Treasurer for about 30 years, and served on other boards including the Dexfield School Board and the Senior Citizens Apartments for a number of years along with being involved in other community activities. In 2016, Byrle was presented a plaque for 70 years of continued membership in the American Legion and has been a member of the Masonic Lodge for over 50 years.
In 1978 Byrle, Deloris and daughter, Sheila, moved to Port St. Lucie, Florida where they resided until he and Deloris moved back to Redfield in 1991.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Carroll in 1959; father, Charles in 1970; mother, Bertha in 1981; former son-in-law, Kenny Cushman in 2003; his beloved wife, Deloris in 2012; son-in-law, James Kirkpatrick in 2016; cousin of Deloris, Larry Spratt in 2017.
He is survived by his daughters, Carol Ann Schnobrich (Brick), Tana Kirkpatrick, and Sheila Edwards (Mark); grandsons, Brett Cushman (Dee Welch) and Bryan Cushman (Carol Matthews); cousin, Neoma Spratt; and other extended family and friends that will miss him dearly.
Byrle was part of the surviving few of what was called the “Greatest Generation” and in the eyes of his loving daughters, sons-in-law and grandsons he was “the greatest”
Special thanks from the family to the staff of the Stuart Community Care Center, The Willows and St. Croix Hospice for their care and compassion during Byrle’s last nine months and final days.
