Paul Loraine Spears

Paul Loraine Spears peacefully passed away on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at the age of 93. He was born in Summers, Arkansas to parents John and Ethel Spears and had one brother, Billy Dale Spears. The Spears children were raised in Bartlesville, OK. Paul enjoyed playing football, soft ball and "street hockey". After graduating Bartlesville Senior High School in 1941, Paul served his country in the United States Army Airforce during World War II from 1941 to 1945. He was a top turret gunner and Flight engineer on a B-17 bomber and flew out of Africa with 50 bombing missions over Italy, Sicily and Germany. Given the option to stay home as a gunnery instructor or return to combat, Paul chose to fly additional missions out of England until the end of the war. He received seven bronze stars and an Air Medal with clusters by the time he was honorably discharged from his service. After the war he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture with a minor in Animal Husbandry from Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) in 1950. Paul worked as an auto mechanic until he graduated from college. After college he was employed as an Agriculture Advisor in Gravette, Arkansas. While Paul and his family were vacationing in California, they fell in love with the state and shortly after moved to Empire where he worked in an ammunitions plant. He applied for a job with the USDA and became a food inspector in Stockton. After 32 years' service he retired as the Officer-in-Charge of the Valley Office. On February 26, 1945, while on leave from combat, Paul married his high school sweetheart, Gwendolyn Marie Mills, in the living room of her parents' home, Ivan and Margaret Mills. They were blessed with two children, son Terry in 1946 and daughter Paula in 1948. After Gwen's unexpected and devastating passing in 1981, Paul met Dorothy Taylor and they became loving companions for over 32 years until she passed away in 2014. Paul loved to spend time with his family doing various activities. Paul was a very active outgoing, outdoors individual and enjoyed to travel, camp, hunt, fish and golf. He played the guitar and entertained the family. He developed a hobby of remodeling his home and the homes of his family. Paul, Gwen and Dorothy traveled extensively to Alaska, Mexico and most of the states in the continental United States. He was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Ridge Runners off road vehicle club, Good Sam Travel Club and E Clampus Vitus.