James Copland Spiva

J.C. Spiva, 94, of Ripley went to be with the Lord on April 23 surrounded by his loving family. Services have been entrusted to the care of Palmer Marler Funeral Home of Stillwater and a service celebrating his life will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, April 27 at Mehan Union Church. Public visitation will be held on Sunday, April 26 from noon to 6 p.m. at the funeral home.
James Copland Spiva was born on Dec. 2, 1920 in Stillwater to Jonas and Lula (White) Spiva. He was raised near Sulphur, OK and graduated from Hickory High School. Following high school J.C. enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp and attended basic training at Camp Pendleton, CA. He was stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina and served his country honorably oversees during WWII. In 1945, while in South Carolina, J.C. married Betty Jo Swindle and to this union five children were born.
Following his discharge from the USMC in 1946, J.C. returned to Oklahoma and he spent the next two years attending OSU Tech. In 1952, he bought a farm near Ripley and has lived there since that time. J.C. Spiva spent more than 65 years working as a finish carpenter and custom home builder in Payne County. He was employed by Donaldson Manning Lumber Company for several years and spent many years building homes in the Stillwater area. Later he worked with Tom Arthur Custom Homes. Betty Jo Spiva passed away in 1991. In 1993 J.C. married Marian Rardin and spent 20 years together before her passing in 2013.
J.C. was a man of tremendous character and his faith in Christ was the cornerstone of his life. He was a founding member of the Mehan Union Church and he was instrumental in the building of the current facilities. He was very active in the church serving as a Sunday school teacher, a Sunday school superintendant, a board member, and various other leadership roles.
He enjoyed camping, fishing, wood working, and gardening. Although he was a quiet and easy going man, he was a vocal supporter of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Dallas Cowboys, and any team that involved his kids and grandkids. J.C. was competitive and rarely lost a game of cards or dominos. Most of all, J.C. Spiva was a family man. He was a hard working father who valued spending time with his kids, but he was never happier than when he was surrounded by his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He touched many lives during his 94 years of life and will truly be missed by all who knew him.
J.C. was preceded in death by his parents, seven siblings: Willard Spiva, Howell Spiva, Paul Spiva, Dale Spiva, Lois Spiva, Lena Allinson, and Rita Keys. He was also preceded in death by his first wife Betty Jo Spiva and his second wife Marian Spiva and a daughter Janice Lee Spiva. J.C. is survived by his four children: Barbra Jane Dooley and husband Sam of Pryor, OK; Sherry Gazaway and Jack Ribble of Stillwater; James Glen Spiva and wife Diana of Ripley; and Connie Lewis of Ripley; and two stepsons, Frank and Bonnie Rardin of Fernley, NV and Bob and Annett Rardin, Redding, CA. He is also survived by his sister Doris Wilson of Tulsa, eight grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.
The family requests that donations be made in J.C.s name to the Mehan Union Church in care of Palmer Marler Funeral Home, 5106 N. Washington, Stillwater, OK 74075
Condolences may be sent to the family via an online guestbook at www.pmcfh.com