William Burge Spargur
08/30/1926 – 07/12/2013
William Spargur died at home Friday morning, July 12th, after a long illness. He spent his last weeks surrounded by his devoted family.
Bill is survived by his loving wife Kathleen, his sister Margaret, and his nine children, and their spouses: daughters: Suzanne, Janet (Jeff), Anne (Robert), and Celia. Sons: Martin, David (Meike), Stephen (Gretchen), Michael (Dedrah), and Patrick (Lara).
He is also survived by his ten grandchildren: Kimberly, Rachelle, Victoria, Donal, Jackson, Addie, Logan, Elijah, Gabriella, and Cosette; and his three great-grandchildren Corielle, Aiden, and Marcus.
Bill Spargur was born August 30th, 1926 in Indianapolis, Indiana to John Arthur and Margaret Butler Spargur and was one of four children.
Bill graduated from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa where he was honored as an All-American swimmer. He continued swimming at Purdue University and remained a dedicated swimmer well into his 80s.
Bill graduated from Purdue with a degree in Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering. He served in the Army Air Corps, training as a navigator near the end of World War II.
He began his business career as an executive at Delavan Corporation in Des Moines, Iowa. He continued his career at Granville-Phillips in Boulder, Colorado, and Sloan Corporation in Santa Barbara, California. He later founded and served as President of Templock Corporation in Santa Barbara.
He shares a patent with Howard Andreasen for a radio-frequency anti-theft tag created while Bill was at Templock Corporation.
Bill was an avid flyer and held a Private Pilot’s license. He liked sharing his love of flying and other sports with his family. Bill enjoyed taking the family on boating and water-skiing trips in Iowa, snow-skiing outings in Colorado, and sailing in Santa Barbara. He personally taught his children to swim and some swam competitively, while others competed in sailing.
He also enjoyed playing poker with his Wednesday-night poker club.
But Bill was always happiest spending Christmas and birthdays surrounded by his family.
Bill is a beloved community member and supporter of Saint Anthony’s Church and has been since 1969.
He was preceded in death by his parents John Arthur and Margaret, his son Billy, his sister Barbara and his brother Jack.
A memorial celebration will be held at St. Anthony’s Church in Santa Barbara on Saturday, July 20th at 11:00 am.
Funeral arrangements are being made by McDermott-Crockett Mortuary. (805) 569-2424