F. Steve Spears

Francis Stephen Spears, known as Steve to everyone, was born on October 16, 1934, to Jesse and Reba Spears in Hulbert, Oklahoma. He was one of six brothers in the big family and grew up in the Hulbert and Tahlequah areas. He was a Cherokee Native American. Steve was married to Linda Ann (Rowland) Spears for over 43 years and made their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Steve's first marriage to Mattie Teague resulted in five children, with the family settling in Claremore, Oklahoma. Steve worked over 40 years, primarily in the aerospace industry. It's very hard to try to describe the sum of a person's life in a few sentences. We want to express how Francis Stephen Spears earned the love, respect and admiration of so many who called him Steve, dad, husband, grandfather, brother, son, friend, coworker, and most importantly a Christian. He will be deeply missed, but heaven has gained someone who was very special to so many. Steve excelled in his chosen profession of Aerospace Engineering. His career spanned several decades. His specialty was design, manufacture and functional tests on numerous programs such as the Apollo program that sent man to the moon, the Space Shuttle, the initial B1 bomber, systems for fighter jets, and large passenger jets. In addition to his engineering skills, he was promoted numerus times and eventually earned the title of Chief Engineer, Rockwell International, Tulsa Division. He was even asked by NASA on a couple of occasions to help on problems that were confronting NASA from time-to-time. First and foremost, however, our Dad can be described as a family man. He exemplified the meaning of leadership, provider, protector, teacher and no-nonsense parenting. Perhaps the best attribute was his personal participation in so many family activities, from simple homemade games to organized sporting events. To better understand what lengths our Dad would go to provide his children with fun and entertainment, the following is an incomplete list of standard and unconventional games and contests he led and participated in: - Indoor games and entertainment such as Hide and Seek, hallway tackle football, Nerf football and basketball, wrestling (including tag team events) all types of card and board games, kitchen table ping pong, hallway bowling (using hair curlers and balls of tape), kid boxing, wall climbing king-of-the-hill contests, balsa and paper airplane flying contests, "sword" fights with cardboard tubes from Christmas wrapping paper, building elaborate forts and tunnels with hay bales in the barn, and Hot Wheels racing and jumping contests. - Outdoor games included regular and modified baseball, football, and basketball, tag, fishing, bicycle rides and races, riding motorcycles, simulated war games with watermelon rinds and acorns as ammunition, various types of water fights with garden hoses and water balloons, contests to kill wasps with various devices, and fly-by-string-control small model airplanes. Dad even had a 50 foot, massive steel pole with a mercury vapor light installed in our front yard so we could play any games at night. The light attracted kids from near and far to our home and these unique activities. We strongly believe they came to be part of this wonderful world our Dad created. He most certainly is one of one of a kind. Steve is survived by his wife Linda Ann (Rowland) Spears; son, Bill Spears, and wife Cindy, of Claremore; daughter Brenda Foreman of Claremore; son Fabian Spears of Claremore, and son Steve Spears of Nowata. He is survived by granddaughter Amber Foreman Patty, and husband Ron, of Broken Arrow; grandson Adam Foreman, and husband Chad Clark, of Broken Arrow; granddaughter Chandra Spears of Wichita, Kansas; grandson Jared Spears of Claremore; granddaughter April Foreman Rowell, and husband Zachary, of Broken Arrow; grandson Aaron Spears, and wife Dawn, of Denton, Texas; granddaughter Brittany Spears of Derby, Kansas; and granddaughter Kaycee Spears Boren, and husband Denver, of Broken Arrow. He is also survived by his great-grandchildren, Aubrey Patty and Connor Patty of Broken Arrow; Evelyn Rowell and Oliver Rowell of Broken Arrow; Christian Spears and wife Tori of Pueblo West, Colorado; Mia Davis of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Abigail Spears and Enique Higbee of Denton, Texas; Loretta Boren and Charlee Boren of Broken Arrow; Maya Spears of Wichita, Kansas; Aidan Spears of Derby, Kansas; and Enoch Spears of Claremore. Steve's family covers five generations with his great-great-granddaughter Aila Spears of Pueblo West, Colorado. Steve is also survived by his brothers, Merrill "Pete" Spears of Ft. Collins, Colorado, Jon Spears of Tulsa, and Rex Michael Spears of Tahlequah. Surviving members of Ann's family includes daughter Christy Edwards and husband Dean of McAlester; son Jerry Phipps of McAlester; daughter Dianne Wopart of Bixby; grandson Dustin Edwards and wife Becky of Hartshorne; grandson Cory Edwards and wife Amber of McAlester; granddaughter Melissa Williams of McAlester; grandson Jeremy Strode of Bixby; granddaughter Crissy Allstott and husband Mike of San Antonio, Texas; grandson Joshua Simpson of Bixby; grandson Matthew Simpson of Bixby; and 15 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren from McAlester, Hartshorne, Seguin Texas and San Antonio, Texas. Steve was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Gary Spears and David Spears, his daughter Kathy Spears, and grandson Zachary Spears. Steve's family extends their heart-felt thanks and deepest gratitude to his various family members who provided love, support, and care to Steve during the last fifteen months of his life. Steve went to be with our Lord on October 15, 2024. The family has a memorial service for Steve scheduled for October 25, 2024, at 2 pm at the Fitzgerald's Southwood Colonial Chapel located at 3612 East 91st Street South, Tulsa, OK; telephone number (918) 291-3500. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages that donations be made in Steve's memory to the Porta Caeli House (located in Tulsa, OK), the hospice facility that took care of Steve. Donations to Porta Caeli House can be made at its website: https://cceok.org/porta-caeli-house/ or by checks payable to Porta Caeli House and sent to: Porta Caeli House, 2440 N Harvard Ave, Tulsa, OK 74115.

F. Steve Spears

October 16, 1934 - October 15, 2024