SPILLER, ADMIRAL D., JR.

Admiral Dewey Spiller Jr. of Livingston, Texas passed away on April 5, 2012. He was 87. He was born on January 30, 1925 at Boerne, Texas to the late Claudia and A Dewey Spiller Sr.

He is survived by his wife Gloria, his son Max, and two sisters, Marie Whalin and Margie Skeele.

Dewey’ early childhood was spent in Corpus Christi, Texas where his father worked as a machinist. While Dewey was in the sixth grade the family moved to Houston Texas where they remained until he graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School (Houston Texas) in 1942.

Dewey joined the U.S. Marine Corps June 4, 1943 serving at Emirau, Guam, Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and the Occupation of Japan at the end of WWII. After being released from active duty December 24, 1945 he returned home, married Gloria Johnson of Kosse, Texas, studied Agriculture at the University of Houston. Following graduation he farmed and ranched in Calhoun County for about six years until a severe recession and several years of drought made farming and ranching difficult. To make ends meet Dewey started working as a welder at a nearby plant. This soon led him join Pipeliners Union #798 in Tulsa Olkahoma. For the next 20 years Dewey was dispatched to work at pipeline jobs from Montana to, South Carolina, and New Mexico to Boston. He also worked in Alaska.

In 1975 Dewey returned to Houston where he purchased a Christian bookstore. He would operate that store until 1993 when he retired. He and Gloria enjoyed RVing around the country until finally settling down in Livingston Texas in 2011.

Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 PM, Monday, April 9, 2012 at the Cochran Funeral Home Chapel in Livingston, Texas with Rev. Harold Isaacs officiating. Visitation will be held from 11:00 AM until service time. Interment will be in the Houston National Cemetery.

Cochran Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.