John William Spilker, passed away on November 19, 2018 at the age of 78 and was a resident of Carmel since 1976.
Born in 1940, the eldest son of Roy & Beulah Spilker, he grew up in their country home north of Cumberland on German Church Road.
He enjoyed his life in the country with his brothers and sister, and was actively involved in 4H, Boy Scouts, and Explorer Scouts earning his Eagle Scout and God & Country Awards, and developed his musical talent in playing the piano, trombone, and organ.
As a youth John was led to the Lord by his maternal grandmother, Viola Bradley, and began a life-long journey of faith in Christ which led him to his wife, a match made in heaven, and 57 years of a married life filled with joy and happiness.
In 1958, John graduated from Warren Central High School in Indianapolis and continued his education earning an Electrical Engineering Degree from General Motors Institute in a five-year co-op engineering program sponsored by the Chevrolet Manufacturing Plant in Indianapolis, and later earned an MBA degree from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1968.
John began his 35 year career at General Motors as a co-op student, and after graduation became an electrical engineer followed by various roles in supervision and general supervision of engineering and manufacturing operations, and staff assistant to the Plant Manager.
After retiring in 1992, John founded LEAD Associates, Inc. with Marilyn serving as Vice President and Corporate Treasurer and Secretary. This began a new 20 year career in provided training and consulting services in computer software development in support of his brother David’s software firm that he formed in 1984. John taught software developers at offsite locations across the US and Canada, and drew students to his Indianapolis Training Facility from North America, Central America, Europe and Asia.
In 1960, John married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Winings, and to them were born two children, Lori and Larry, who grew up in the Devington Area of Indianapolis, and later in Carmel, and now have families of their own.
They so much enjoyed many family vacations, including a 300 mile biking vacation in Central Indiana, and doing things together in serving as youth leaders at Devington Baptist Church, officers of the Do-Si-Squares dance club, and lay leaders at College Park Church in launching a military support ministry after 9/11, and helping launch the small group ministry as members of the SGM Council, and leading small groups in their home for 12 years and then at Marquette Manor for 4 years.
John also enjoyed playing the piano, biking on the Monon trail, and a season of being an online missionary for Global Media Outreach ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, which is now CRU, and active involvement in the Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC) in discipling and coaching others.
John was preceded in death by his mother and father, two brothers Jim and Fred, and his sister Janice, and his wife Marilyn. He is survived by his brother David; his son Larry and grandchildren Ashten, Riley and Aubree; and daughter Loretta and grandchild Christina.
Funeral arrangements are through Indiana Funeral Care at IndianaFuneralCare.com. Visitation will begin at 4:00 followed by a Memorial Service at 6:00 at College Park Church at 2606 W 96th Street in Indianapolis, on November 27th, 2018. Pastor Don Bartemus will be conducting the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to College Park Church.- North Indy.
John will be buried at the New Palestine Cemetery on November 28th, 2018 with a graveside service provided by Pastor Don Bartemus.
Bob Shaw says
John and I met the evening of March 12, 2018 at Bible Study Fellowship. That was his first night joining our group and I sensed that the “new guy” sitting next to me was someone I needed to know. In the succeeding 8 months I had the distinct privilege of being John’s friend, sharing periodic dinners together and enjoying the fleeting hours of interaction during visits to his home. The depth of my new friend was profound and I greatly enjoyed our wide-ranging conversations. Interestingly, once he entered hospice care I anticipated much of our discussions would focus on his condition but that wasn’t the case. He was more interested in discussing the Bible, ministry experiences, life stories, marveling in God’s creation, and just sharing a good laugh than to dwell on the realities of his deteriorating health. I regret that our friendship was so short but will forever be grateful that God brought us together for a brief season of our lives. I’ll be seeing him again some day!
Jack Whitaker says
I also had the privilege of meeting John through Bible Study Fellowship and was introduced to John by Bob Shaw and Gary Ruble; Gary has known John his whole life. John was a real inspiration to everyone at BSF who knew his story, and how he handled his terminal condition was unlike any I have ever seen, a real testimony to The Lord. We will miss him, but as Bob says, it was a real privilege to have had him with us for the time we did.
Jeff Landis says
Few men have had such a significant impact on my life as John. His commitment to Jr. High students at Devington Baptist Church made the Christian faith come alive and enticing to a Jr. High boy. I will never forget the fun retreats and his reel to reel music that started off every morning and ended every evening.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on…that they may rest from their labors for their deeds follow them” Rev. 14:13.
Ernest Victor says
Ernest and Lalitha Victor.
We can never ever be thankful to God for bringing us in contact with John and Marilyn. We lived in their home for two months from Oct to Nov 2012. We came to Indianapolis for Ernest’s Prostate radical surgery. We came to Indianapolis from the mission field. They took care of us as their own family. We experienced the love of Christ through them. The time we spent with them was like a retreat, growing spiritually and worshiping God intensely. We are waiting to meet them one day in our Father’s home. ” And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21: 3.
L. Duncan says
Dear Spilker Family,
Please accept my condolences for your loss. Death is not easy to accept, much less to cope with. It’s comforting to know that Our loving Heavenly Father Jehovah understands your pain. He promises us that “He will wipe out every tear from their eyes and death will be no more neither morning nor outcry nor pain any more..” (Revelation 21:4) He promises to return our loved ones who have passed. (Acts 24:15) To learn more about God and his loving purpose for us please visit JW.org.
Donna Shaw says
John was one of the kindest people I ever met. He immediately made an impact with his soft spoken words and easy way of laughing. I dud not know of his passing but knew it was imminent
I’m so sorry for his family for such a trenendous loss. Just know he impacted people in such a wonderful way. He will be missed.
Jay van Santen says
I knew John in a different mode, as a prominent Indianapolis contributor to the Visual FoxPro community, and his training and influence was world-wide.
At my invitation, he introduced revolutionary VFP version 3.0 to a rapt group of developers. We started at 7:00PM, as the hours wore on, John only gained his energy and enthusiasm, and we finally wrapped up around 11:30.
I knew that he had been diagnosed with cancer, over 15 years ago. With a poor diagnosis, he read up, and adopted an all vegetarian diet, which immediately had a positive, and, as it turned out, a long-lasting effect.
Clearly, he’s had an impact on many different communities. He will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family as they move through this time of grief and celebration of a life well lived to the glory of God.