Dale Duane Spidall

Dale Duane Spidall, 88, a long-time resident of San Antonio, TX, died on January 10, 2024, in Apple Valley, CA, from COVID-related pneumonia surrounded by three of his daughters. He had recently moved to California to be closer to his daughters, and his loss came unexpectedly after just four months of reunion. He leaves behind a legacy of family, encouragement, and love.

Dale was born on September 21, 1935, in Wichita, KS—the only surviving child of Lavoun and Juanita Spidall. They both adored Dale, especially his mom, who taught him so much about unconditional love and how this love extends to everyone, beyond family to our neighbors including welcoming the stranger as described in Matthew 25: 35-40.

In 1955, he married Delores (Dee) Spidall. Over the span of their 25-year marriage, they had four daughters: Debbie, Diana, Denise, and Danielle. Dale and Dee created a family of love, laughter, hard work, and deep understanding.

After his divorce from Dee, he married the love of his life, Flora (Sue) Spidall, in 1983, who had two children from a previous marriage: Cheryl and Gary. He welcomed them both, eventually officially adopting Gary who bears Dale’s surname. Dale and Sue experienced the worst heartbreak of their life when Cheryl died in a car accident, leaving behind two sons: Michael and Andrew. As he had done before, he welcomed both Andrew and Michael into their home.

Dale’s greatest accomplishment was his work as an engineer, primarily for Boeing, but also for Sikorsky, Cessna, McDonnell Douglas, and others. His career as an aerospace engineer and beloved manager spanned 60 years, including working on the space shuttle program. He was most proud of his work on the C-17 Globemaster III program in San Antonio. He loved his work so much that he did not retire until he was 79 years old!

On January 8, 2017, he lost his wife Sue Spidall and has awaited their reunion ever since. It is the hope of his family that he was greeted upon his death also by his mother and Grammy, whom he loved and missed every day since their passing.

He is survived by his very large, blended family—daughters Deborah (Debbie) Yoo, Diana Spidall, Denise Walker, and Danielle Derbenti; son, Gary Spidall; granddaughter Crystal Lee; grandsons Bradley Yoo, Jason Clements, Jack Derbenti, and Eliot Derbenti; step-grandsons Michael Butcher and Andrew Garner; three great-granddaughters; three great-grandsons; and three step-great-granddaughters.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents James (Papa) and Lena (Grammy) Knowles; parents Lavoun and Juanita Spidall; first wife Delores (Dee) Spidall; second wife Flora (Sue) Spidall; and step-daughter Cheryl Kunow.

A memorial service for Dale is being planned for late June, considering that his large family is spread across as many as five states. Please contact the family for details.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations can be made to The Humane Society (humanesociety.org) or the Leukemia Research Foundation (leukemiarf.org) in his name. Dale had a genuine love for animals, always rescuing strays; the family hopes he has found a joyous reunion with them. Additionally, he was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), which played a role in his passing. He would be honored if donations in his name played a small role in curing leukemia-related cancers.