A Visitation will be held at 11:00 am followed by the Funeral Service at 12 pm, Friday, February 28, 2020 at First Baptist Church of Hurst. Graveside service will follow at 2 pm at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park in Colleyville, Texas, to be followed by a huge celebration of life at Bronco's Sports Bar & Grill, 900 Airport Fwy. #166, Hurst, Texas 76054.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of your own charities in her memory. If you chose to, you can donate to one of her favorites: the Genelle Spangler Scholarship overseen by Mid-Cities Panhellenic or The Neuro Fitness Foundation or to the Mid Cities SOS, P.O Box 247, Colleyville, Texas 76034, or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, New York 10163.
Born on January 19, 1936 in Nome, Alaska to Pauline Cannon and Eugene H. Elms. She spent her time as a housewife, artist, educator and philanthropic worker. Genelle graduated from Weatherwax High School in Aberdeen, Washington and continued her education at the University of Washington in Seattle, graduating in June of 1958. Her degree was in art education. She pledged Chi Omega sorority as a sophomore in 1954.
She was married in September 1958 to James Leroy Robinson. She was widowed in 1960. She married Charles Richard Thurman in April 1961, and to this brief union, a son Matthew was born. She then married Warren Edward Spangler, who grew up in the same neighborhood, on her birthday, January 19, 1963 in Aberdeen, Washington, immediately after he adopted her son. Being an Air Force pilot and family they moved to Okinawa, Japan and lived there until 1966, when her husband took a job with American Airlines. In 1967 her second child Jason was born. They lived in Farmers Branch for six years and then moved to Bedford in 1972, where she lived for forty eight years.
Ironically, she moved to Bedford and later found out that her great grandfather was the brother of Wiley Green and James Jasper Cannon who settled in this area, directly related to her mother. They were from Bedford County, Tennessee. On her father’s side, she was a Mayflower descendant through Richard Warren, Degory Priest, Isaac Allerton, Stephen Hopkins and Fances Cooke.
Genelle taught for Seattle ISD from September 1958 to January of 1963. She was also a substitute teacher for DISD from 1968 -1972 and for HEB ISD from 1974 -1986.
In 1974, she along with about twenty five other women founded Mid-Cities Panhellenic in her home. She served as a High School Liaison and Masterlist Chairman for 13 years and was a past President. In 1975 Genelle and about ten other women formed Mid-Cities Chi Omega Alumnae, also in her home. She served as RIF chairman for thirteen years. Genelle and other interested women rechartered this group in 2004 and renamed it, North Tarrant County Chi Omega Alumnae. She became a member of Dilettantes in 1976 and served many offices including President. This group gave fundraising events for Cystic Fibrosis for many years, but also has done fundraising work for the Neuro-Fitness Foundation. She was one of twenty five women who were charter members for community information for the Mid-Cities Supporters of Safe Haven (a domestic safe haven for women and their children). In her first year with that organization, she was the Vice President and in her fourth year she was the President. Along with her husband, she was a member of The River Rats Association, of the Itazuke Afterburners. The 18th Fighter Wing and the Grey Eagles of American Airlines. All her memberships were concurrent.
Genelle was a member of the Tuesday Morning Bible Study under various teachers’ leadership for many years. She was also a member of First Baptist Church of Hurst.
Genelle is survived by her husband Warren; son, Matthew Elms Spangler and his wife Nora Lee Spangler of Bend Oregon; sons Alec Edward and Espen Noble Spangler, and their mother Kimberley Frances Haley. By her son Jason Paul Spangler, his son Skylar Leighton and his daughters Aly Mckenzie and Madison Brooke Spangler and their mother Tracie Spangler of Keller Texas. She is also survived by her many cousins from California, Colorado, Oregon and New Mexico. She was preceded in her death by her parents and all of her aunts and uncles.
Celebration of Life will be held Friday, February 28, 2020 at 2:30 pm to as long as people want to stay at
Bronco's Sports Bar & Grill, 900 Airport Fwy. #166, Hurst, Texas 76054.
(There will be free food and a cash bar.)
