J.R. graduated from Patti Welder High School and went on to attend Victoria College. On July 11, 1951, he married his high school sweetheart, Ioan Koontz, in San Francisco, California, while serving as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. The couple returned to Victoria, Texas, in 1952 and later celebrated a private ceremony at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Rectory that November. After 40 years with E.I. DuPont in Victoria, J.R. concluded his career as a Quality Control Laboratory Supervisor.
J.R. and Ioan raised three children together: Debra Mareth and husband Frank (Victoria), Donna Mikulenka and husband Dan (Victoria), and David McSpadden and wife Tamye (Kerrville). To his six grandchildren, he was known as PawPaw, always present and cheering them on at their activities: Adam Mareth and wife Stephanie, Erin Wooten and husband Nathan, Danielle Volkmer and husband Jeff, Dane Mikulenka, Cianan McSpadden and wife Angela, and Aidan McSpadden. He also treasured his five great grandchildren: Jacob and Paige Volkmer, and Rylen, Remi, and Jett Mikulenka.
J.R. spent countless hours fishing and at the baseball field. If you were looking for him at a game, you’d almost always find him right behind home plate, notebook in hand, carefully tracking every play from little league through high school. He proudly held the spot just behind Ioan as one of the Houston Astros’ most devoted fans. J.R. never passed up a chance to share a story, and his words captivated the attention of everyone who listened.
In his later years, J.R. could most often be found at the Flat Iron Ranch. Whether he was working the tractor and mowing grass, feeding deer, or enjoying the quiet by the pond, the ranch was his spot. The pond he created for the Flat Iron became his legacy, and he loved nothing more than sitting with Ioan, simply taking it all in.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Ioan Koontz McSpadden, his parents, and his sister, Florene Conley. A private family burial with Military Honors will be held at a later date. Memorials can be made to Texas Children’s Hospital or the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
