The Rev. Dr. David Spooner

He was born and raised in Fostoria, Ohio and was the only child of Henry K. and Helen M. (Fruth), Spooner. His beloved wife, Janis M. (Conley), whom he married on September 2, 1956 (deceased August 26, 2017). They were the parents of three children; Dr. Jeffrey D. Spooner (deceased January 19, 2010), spouse, Dr. Pamela J. (Summers) Spooner, Jennifer D. Zolman (spouse Tony, deceased August 23, 2008), and Julie D. Werner (spouse Gary, deceased March 4, 2022). They are the grandparents of 4 granddaughters; Jodi (Werner) Litvinov, (spouse Mike), Kate (Spooner) Zurkowski, (spouse Pawel), Emily (Spooner) Wassilak, (Spouse Dan), and Ellen (Spooner) Dinsdale, (Spouse Trevor). They are the great-grandparents of; Mia Litvinov, Maci Litvinov, Teddy Zurkowski, Tommy Zurkowski, Baylor Wassilak, and Collier Wassilak.

David graduated from Fostoria High School, Fostoria, Ohio in 1953 and received the Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH in 1957 with a B.A. degree. He was a member of the Air Force R.O.T.C., The Concert Band, Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, Pi Delta Epsilon, Varsity Debate and the Young Republicans. He graduated from Eden Theological Seminary, Webster Groves, MO in 1960 with a B.D. degree. While at Eden he served as a Student Pastor of Ladue Chapel, then Assistant Chaplain of Homer G. Phillips Hospital and Chaplain of Deaconess Hospital. Following his ordination, he was called on September 4, 1960, to serve as the Associate Pastor of Philippus United Church of Christ in Cincinnati, OH. Then, from November 1, 1961, until he retired in 1997, he was called to serve as the director of Hospital Missions in Greater St. Louis for the United Church of Christ which then provided chaplaincy services for five St. Louis public hospitals, all now closed. He is a Board-Certified Professional Hospital Chaplain and received F.C.C. Fellow status from the College of Chaplains in 1963. While serving in that capacity he was presented The Meritorious Service Award by the St. Louis City Hospital Medical Staff, was presented a St. Louis Nursing School Nightingale Lamp (one of only two ever presented to a non-nursing professional), was presented the Mayor’s Civic Award for the City of St. Louis, was named to “Who’s Who in the Midwest”, was honored with the United Church of Christ “Diakonia Award” and was awarded a “Service Recognition Citation” from Washington University, St. Louis. He was elected a delegate to two United Church of Christ General Synods. For 35 years he was a member of Eden Theological Seminary’s Field Education Faculty. He earned a D.Min. degree in Pastoral Counseling from Eden Theological Seminary in 1973. In 1982 he established a private practice counseling service “Spooner and Associates Counseling and Consulting, Inc. “. He was a Trust Director for the St. Louis Bible Society from 1968-1992. In 1990 he was recognized as “Volunteer of the Year” for St. Louis Regional Medical Center and in 1991 the City of St. Louis, in recognition of his service to the city’s hospitals, designated November 1, 1991, as “Dr. David T. Spooner Day in the City of St. Louis”. The Missouri State Senate recorded his name of accomplishments in “The Senate Book of Records”. He was honored with a second Diakonia Award by the United Church of Christ Health and Welfare Counsel and a scholarship was established in his name, “The Dr. David T. Spooner Scholarship for Pastoral Care”, at Eden Theological Seminary. As of 2022, 94 students have received scholarship assistance. He has been an active member of the Boy Scouts of America since 1944. In 1952 he was honored to be chosen Honorary Boy Scout Governor of the State of Ohio. He is an Eagle Scout with “Double Silver Palms”, a recipient of the United Church of Christ’s “God and Service Recognition”, the Boy Scout Explorer “Silver Award”, The Boy Scout “District Award of Merit”, The Boy Scout “Silver Beaver Award”, The Boy Scouts of America “Outstanding Eagle Scout Award”, and the Boy Scouts of America “National Heroism Award” (for saving the life of a woman in the Atlantic Ocean surf off Pompano Beach, FL). He served on the Boy Scout National Aquatic School staff, served for 6 years on the Boy Scout Put-Han-Sen Area Council Camp Berry Staff (four of these as Aquatic Director) and was the advisor for three Philmont crews and served on the Philmont High Adventure Base Faculty for 6 years. He is a member of the Gravois Trail District Eagle Board of Review. He served as a board member (including four years as president) for P.R.A.Y. Publishing which provides the religious materials and awards for the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts and the Campfire organization. He was the national liaison between the Boy Scouts and The American Bible Society. He has served on the Boy Scout National Committee and has written and published numerous articles and pamphlets for the Church and for the Boy Scouts of America. He served as the Protestant Chaplain General at the 1985 National B.S.A. Jamboree. He founded the National United Church of Christ Scouter’s Association.  Recognizing that there was no chapel at the Boy Scout High Adventure Sea Base in the Florida Keys he solicited and raised the necessary funds from sixteen faith groups; (12 Protestant denominations, Catholic, L.D.S., Jewish and Islam) to have a chapel constructed. It was built by the Seminole Indians and was dedicated in 1993. In 1996 he was presented the “Shalom Award” by the Eden Seminary faculty and student body. The award recognizes the person they would most like to emulate. He retired from full-time ministry in 1997, however continued to serve part-time as the Director of Pastoral Services at Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center until 2021. He had served in that capacity since 1964 when he was hired by the Missouri Department of Mental Health to be the Chaplain at Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center which became the Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center. In 2014 he was hired by Barnes-Jewish Hospital, BJC Health Care System, to also serve as their part-time Resident Chaplain. On October 13, 2015, he was awarded the Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s “Compassionate Employee Award”. He served BJC until 2020. He is a life-time member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, A lifetime member of Pi Delta Epsilon Honorary Journalism Fraternity, an Emeritus Member of the American Protestant Hospital Chaplain’s Association, and Emeritus Board Member of P.R.A.Y Publishing, a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, (SAR), a Mayflower Descendant, an ordained United Church of Christ clergy and a member of St. Johns Evangelical United Church of Christ, Mehlville, MO. He was a helpful professional chaplain and counselor who loved his family. The out-of-doors was his world. He slept over two of his years in a tent and paddled a canoe several hundred miles. He had a good life! He will be missed.

In Lieu of flowers Memorial gifts may be given to: St. Johns Crossing Loan 11333 St. Johns Church Road, St. Louis, MO 63123

Or

Eden Seminary CPE Program (Clinical Pastoral Education) 475 East Lockwood, St. Louis, MO 63119

Memorial Visitation Sunday, December 18, 2022, from 3pm-8pm at St. Johns United Church of Christ (11333 St. Johns Church Road) Memorial Service Monday, December 19, 2022, at 11am at same location