Mr. George Wray Spurgeon III's Obituary
George Wray Spurgeon III, 76, known to most as “Spud," passed away on May 30, 2020, after a nine-year battle with dementia. . He was born on November 13, 1943, to George Wray Spurgeon Jr. and Evelyn (Epke) Spurgeon, in Rochester, NY. Spud’s father was in the military, and they lived throughout Central America, Europe, and Asia, until they finally settled in Brockport, NY.
Spud graduated from Brockport High School, where he was a class favorite of many. He was also a graduate of Alvin Community College, and he played baseball at Salem College in West Virginia. Spud excelled at baseball and even pursued a career in professional baseball. He got his nickname after Spurgeon “Spud” Chandler, who pitched for the New York Yankees from 1937-1947. This nickname was especially fitting since his all-time favorite baseball team was the Yankees and because he later became a pitcher himself. When Spud was pitching to his team during high school batting practice, his teammates would plead with the other pitchers to throw to them so that they did not have to face him. He had a lot of success on the mound and threw many no-hitters in his career. Always a competitor, Spud also pursued a professional career in bowling.
Spud was a proud Veteran and member of the United States Army. He served two voluntary tours in the Vietnam War from 1966-1968, for a total of 26 months. He was honorably discharged as a medaled serviceman after serving for over 33 months. While in the Army, he sold individual cigarettes to the soldiers and would send the money back home. Upon his return to the States, he had saved enough money to purchase a truck.
Spud met his wife of 32 years, Amy (Martin) Spurgeon, while in Brockport. He courted her for many years when they were young, and the two eventually married and moved to Texas. Together, they had three daughters, Sarah Elizabeth, Beth Anne, and Emily Kate, who are first-generation Texans.
Spud had over 100 hours of Petroleum Engineering Extension Programs in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. This led him to his professional career in the oil industry for 33 years, with 28 years as a supervisor with Texas Eastern, BP Amoco, and Apache Corporation.
During Spud’s free time, he enjoyed taking his daughters fishing or working in the yard. When Spud was at home, you could frequently find him down on the living room floor playing Barbies with his daughters or sharing his recliner with them after a long day at work. Another place you could find Spud was his “office,” his desk in the garage. If you visited his “office,” you would be sure to hear a baseball game playing on the AM radio, and you would not leave without being offered a piece of bubblegum from his desk drawer. He loved westerns and was one of Clint Eastwood’s biggest fans. He never missed a school event, sporting event, or fine arts performance for his children or grandchildren.
Spud was preceded in death by his wife, Amy (Martin) Spurgeon, and his parents, George Wray Spurgeon Jr. and Evelyn (Epke) Spurgeon. He is survived by his daughters: Sarah (Spurgeon) Luna and husband, Rick, of Pearland, Beth (Spurgeon) Clark and husband, Steve, of Friendswood, and Emily (Spurgeon) Olaloko and husband, Ade, of Houston; grandchildren: Victoria Spurgeon-Chen and wife, Josette, of Austin, Elizabeth Luna, Jacob Luna, Cash Clark, Max Clark, Farrah Clark, Brock Olaloko, and Charlie Olaloko; sister, Linda (Spurgeon) Coffman and husband, Alan, of Houston; nieces and nephews: Craig Mount, Kelley (Mount) Brumfield, Kevin Coffman, and Kellye (Coffman) Sipes; in-laws, Richard and Alice (Rogers) Martin of Brockport, NY.
A private family service will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2020, at South Park Funeral Home in Pearland, TX to celebrate Spud’s life.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sweden Community Recreation Foundation in Honor of Spud Spurgeon and mailed to 15 Ogee Trail, Brockport, NY 14420. A fund has been set up in Spud’s name, and he will be honored in his hometown with a donation to youth baseball
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