Sandy Spangler

Life has been an interesting ride for me since barely graduating from high school 50 years ago. A tour in Vietnam with the Army artillery soon after graduation left me angry and confused but also led me to work in the construction trades where I eventually starting my own business, Spangler Electric and Construction, which I owned and operated for almost 17 years in Lake, Geauga and Cuyahoga Counties. Within a year of returning from Vietnam I jumped into a very difficult 9-year marriage ending in divorce but provided one of the great joys of my life, a son Mathew. Soon after that marriage ended a 2nd marriage to Cheryl Manley of Leroy, OH provided 8 years of difficult marital challenges but also another special gift in a daughter named Michelle. At the 8-year mark and now in the process of another divorce, Cheryl and I attended a Weekend to Remember® marriage conference and our lives were radically changed forever as we meet the only One that could save our broken marriage.

Within 5 years of attending that conference we were called to go on staff with a ministry known today as Cru, formally known as Campus Crusade for Christ and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas to the headquarters of FamilyLife Ministry. During those first 17 years on staff, among other assignments, Cheryl and I had the privilege to train more than 5,000 missionaries, many of which are still serving in more than 100 countries around the world. On Easter morning 2013 after 33 years of marriage, God took the love of my life, Cheryl home after a very difficult 18-month battle with Triple Negative Breast Cancer and I thought my life and ministry might be coming to an end. However, after a couple years a new joy by the name of Sharon came into my life and brought 3 more children and 4 more grandchildren. After Sharon and I were married on November 14, 2016 we became a blended-blended family with 5 children and 9 grandchildren and a new legacy had begun. We are both still serving at FamilyLife but looking toward retirement soon where we can spend more time traveling and enjoying our extended families. My life since 1968 has been an adventure with lots of ups and downs I could never have expected as I look back on it now, but I can say with all sincerity, I wouldn’t change a thing if I could! And I hope all who read this can say the same!

Most of my favorite memories from high school days were off the school property which was my preference back then. They would include early morning smoke breaks at the ice cream stand up the road followed by front brake burn-outs with my raggedy old 61 Ford Falcon that somehow stayed together and left one small black mark that I was so proud of compared to some of the big block dual burnouts left by Hanusosky and other guys. Shop class Forman in Mr. Harrington’s wood shop class was a highlight until he caught me forging his signature on early dismissal hall passes. But what I treasured most of all were the fun times jamming with the old Hazy Shades (the band had other names over the years but that was my favorite) that included Sandy Campbell (RIP), Bruce Batchelor (RIP) and Terry Bancroft plus a few others that came and went over the years. “Those were the days my friends, we thought they’d never end”, even after our high school days, but they eventually did for all of us and I have to say I still miss them (-: