Joel M. Spiller

Joel M. Spiller, 86, of Frankfort, KS, died Monday, July 21, 2014 at Mercy Regional Health Center in Manhattan, KS. Visitation wasThursday, noon to 8 p.m. at the Padden Funeral Chapel in Frankfort. The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. A funeral service was held at 10 a.m., Friday, July 25, at the United Methodist Church in Frankfort. Officiants were Rev. Michael McKee and Rev. Susan Montgomery. Janet Plegge played the organ and Kim Stewart sang "I Can Only Imagine" and "Here I Am Lord." Pallbearers were Doug Plegge, Dan Studer, Charlie Loiseau, John Shearer, Bob Sandmann and Brad Huddleston. Burial was in Antioch Cemetery near Frankfort. Joe was born January 12, 1928 in Clements, Kansas, the son of Blanche and Joel Spiller. The family later relocated to Frankfort where he grew up, attended school and graduated from Frankfort High School. Following brief stints as a furniture upholsterer and short order chef in Kansas City, he married Helen Potter in 1949 and began farming the Spiller homestead. Together they farmed, danced, raised four children, traveled the world and enjoyed 50 years of marriage together. Joe loved the farm and received many awards over the years for his labors. He also enjoyed nurturing young farmers trying to get started in his beloved profession. Following Helen’s death in 1999, Joe pursued another of his dreams and opened Uncle Dudley’s, an ice cream shop in Marysville, Kansas. He was well into his 70s when he opened up shop selling K-State Call Hall ice cream and “the best malt you ever tasted or your money back!” He had many interests and perhaps the hats he wore sum it up best: the orange hunting hat he wore when his nephews hunted with Uncle Joe, the purple hat he wore to the K-State football games, the Uncle Dudley’s cap, of course, and the many farm seed and implement company hats he always had in abundant supply and wore while fishing or at breakfast with his Beattie farm friends. He also loved big band music and jazz, played tenor sax, and was the most beautiful whistler you’ve ever heard. Preceding him in death were his wife Helen and three siblings: Wilma Drinkwater, Virgil Spiller, and Ferne (Plumb) Hines; and two nieces, Carol Hires and Angie Hines. He is survived by his four children: Bruce Spiller of Palm Springs, California; Sandra Spiller and spouse Norm Dinerman of Glenburn, Maine; Sharon Wanklyn and spouse David Wanklyn of Frankfort, Kansas; and Susan Religa and spouse Kevin Religa of Manhattan, Kansas; and four grandchildren: Emily Jackson of Kansas City, Missouri; and Brandon, Hannah and Lane Religa of Manhattan, Kansas. He is also survived by sister Marjorie Olson of Abilene, Kansas, and brother Galen Wayne Spiller and wife Jean of Frankfort; and sister-in-law Joyce Mellott of Lakewood, Colorado; 11 nieces and nephews, and numerous extended family members and friends. We would like to thank everyone for your love and prayers. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Frankfort High School Endowment, which will be used by FFA for scholarships to help young farmers. We will miss you, Friend, Father, Mentor. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Joel M. Spiller, please visit our flower store.