Spence Horsley 

Best dad ever!

In every small town, there are a few people whose names become woven into the community—people who leave an impression not just by what they do, but by how they live their lives and make people feel! For our family and for so many others in town, that person is our dad! He makes everybody he talks to feel loved! He was definitely all of our friend’s favorite: born February 18, 1946, to Maxine and Raymond Horsley he has two brothers Ray and Scott. He was the best middle son!

Dad’s childhood was a mix of work and fun. He spent every day after school riding horses. His parents owned Downata hot springs where he was a lifeguard for 14 years! Sports weren’t just a hobby; they were a passion, he loved them all! As a dad he loved helping all of his kids succeed in any sport they wanted to play. He would spend hours outside throwing the ball or in the church gym rebounding as long as we wanted to stay!

With six kids—five boys and one daughter, Dad had his hands full in the best (and occasionally loudest) way possible. He and Mom built a home where scraped knees, broken bones and crazy was a daily occurrence. Saturday mornings started with chores and ended with us playing some kind of pick up game. We always were with friends, or family. You haven’t seen chaos until you’ve tried to load six kids into a station wagon for church, and yet somehow, Dad made it look easy.

He wore many hats in life. As the town’s mortician for many years, he was a quiet source of strength during life’s hardest moments. It takes a special kind of person to walk families through grief with both compassion and calm, and our dad did it without ever needing credit or praise. He even helped his own family through these worst times. And if being a mortician wasn’t enough, he also served as mayor for years. Politics in a small town may not make national news, but believe us, it can get just as busy at times yet Dad always brought humor and humility to the job.

His life wasn’t all seriousness, though. In fact, one of Dad’s greatest strengths has always been his sense of humor. Not the loud, look-at-me kind—but the clever, well-timed quip that would make you laugh twice: once at the joke and again an hour later when it finally hit you. He’s the kind of dad who could turn a flat tire into an adventure, a family trip into a full on scene from the show “ Vacation” and when ever we messed up or wrecked some kind of toy or vehicle, our dad would not get mad and yell at us, he would always make sure first that we were ok before he would address the situation.

When it came to supporting his kids and grandkids, there is no such thing as “too busy.” Dad attends every sporting event, dance recital, award ceremony, and graduation. He doesn’t care if it is a T-ball or graduation, if one of his own is playing, he is there in the stands, smiling and cheering!

His faith in Jesus Christ has always been at the heart of who he is. He doesn’t just talk about service—he lives it. Whether it is helping someone, volunteering at church, or helping my mom dropping off food to a neighbors, Dad serves quietly but consistently. He’s a Christ-like man in the truest sense: patient, kind, full of grace, and guided by a deep sense of purpose and love.

And oh, how he loves. The way he lights up around his 6 kids, 29 grandkids and now nine great-grandkids. He’s the kind of grandpa who always has a joke or story but best of all his advice is the best!

Our dad would absolutely say his kids are his greatest accomplishment!! If you ask him when his favorite time was in life, he would tell anyone that it was when his kids all were home! We have always felt how deeply he loves us!!

Father’s Day is the best because we get to honor all dads out there. Fathers do so much for their families and especially our dad!! Thank you for fixing what was broken, for showing up even when it wasn’t convenient, and for teaching us what love looks like with your time, and all of your attention. Thank you for leading by example and for proving that a great man can be both strong and gentle, both wise and humble.

So here’s to our dad, our hero, Whether you knew him as the mayor, the mortician, or even the bus driver. He is someone so special. We sure love and adore him!! Happy Father’s Day, Dad. You are loved more than you’ll ever know!!