Steven Harris Spickelmier

Steve was born and raised in Huntington, IN, the son of the late Marion and Edra (Hillegas) Spickelmier. He graduated in 1962 from Huntington Township High School. Active in various sports, he was a member of the basketball teams that won the County Tourneys in ‘61 and ‘62.

Inspired by stories shared by his father about the military and his involvement in the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach, Steve enlisted in the US Navy in 1962. He trained as a torpedoman and became a Plank Owner of the submarine tender USS Holland AS-32 in Rota, Spain. After completing his Naval service, he returned to Indiana and attended Indiana University. He then joined the Air National Guard 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing in Ft. Wayne. He retired in 1987 as a MSgt from the 482nd Fighter Wing in Homestead, FL with 26 years of military service.

In addition to his military service, Steve retired from AT&T (Indiana Bell, Southern Bell, BellSouth) as a Network Operations Manager after 32 years.

Steve had a sensitive heart for the needs of all veterans and became very active in many local veterans organizations, even expanding those efforts to the surrounding four counties. He was past Chairman of the Veterans Council of Duval County, past Chairman of the Support Committee at Jacksonville National Cemetery, past president of Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA) Chapter 559, and past Field Operations Director for Missing in America Project (MIAP) for the State of Florida. He was also an integral part of Wreaths Across America, POW/MIA, Vets 4 Vets of Northeast Florida, Vietnam Veterans of America, and “Gathering in the Pines” at Cecil Field. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including The Legion of Honor Award at The Chapel of Four Chaplains at Cecil Field.

Steve cherished spending time with family and friends, serving his church, working for veterans' causes, boating and was a past Commodore of the Navy Jax Yacht Club. He was an avid Notre Dame fan, to the point of persuading his son, Jon, to play football and earn a degree from there.

An active member of Mandarin United Methodist Church, he served as an usher for many years and church van driver for residents of Wesley Manor retirement home. He also served his community as Chairman of the Brierwood Neighborhood Association.

Steve is survived by his wife, Glenda, the “love of his life” for over 33 years; children Angela Spickelmier, Jon Spickelmier (Kristin), Christopher Green (Wendy), Eric Green (Linda), and Scott Crooker (My); grandchildren Addison, Ellie, Cordes, Bryant, Emma, Liam, Hadley, Olivia, Melissa and Alex; sister Jorja Smith (Steve) of Ft. Wayne, IN; brother Jeff Spickelmier (Cheryl) of North Webster, IN; and nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 11801 San Jose Blvd, in Jacksonville Wednesday, February 2nd from 5pm - 7pm. Funeral service will be held at 1:00pm Thursday, February 3rd at Mandarin United Methodist Church, 11270 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville. He will be honored and interred at Jacksonville National Cemetery during a private ceremony at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that we honor Steve by making contributions to: Jacksonville National Cemetery - Support Committee, PO Box 57695, Jacksonville, FL 32241; National POW-MIA Memorial Museum, 6112 POW-MIA Memorial Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32221.