Brian Hugh Spradling

Brian Hugh Spradling, age 77, of Firestone, Colorado passed away peacefully on January 1, 2025, at his home in Firestone after a brief illness. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, Marine, hunter, and cherished friend to many.

Brian was born June 30, 1947, in Denver, Colorado to Harold and Marjorie Spradling. He grew up with three sisters, older sister Loralee and  younger sisters Nancy and Lynne. His father Harold was a U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant, and his mother Marjorie, a dedicated stay-at-home mom. Brian's childhood included various relocations due to his father's military service. These included Lowry AFB in Denver, Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, and Eglin AFB in Florida. During his 4th grade year, while Harold was stationed in Turkey, Brian and the rest of his family spent the year in Orleans, Nebraska, where he loved his time with extended family.

The summer before his senior year of high school, Brian's family moved to Fountain, Colorado, where he graduated from Fountain-Ft. Carson High School.  Brian was an accomplished trumpet and French horn player throughout his school years. He performed in the band at Choctawhatchee High School and in the high school’s jazz band at the Florida Pavillion at the New York World’s Fair in 1964.  He also marched with his band in the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans.  He always had a love for music, especially from the big band era, as that was the music his parents frequently listened to. He later met his wife Kathy while enjoying their favorite local classic rock band, Joe Cool, who later played at their wedding reception.

Brian attended one year of college in Trinidad, Colorado at Trinidad State Junior College. During this time, he met his good buddy Jim Donnelly, who he later reconnected with in Vietnam, as Jim had also enlisted in the Marine Corps. 

As he was unable to continue college due to financial constraints, and because he did not want to be drafted, Brian enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in the summer of 1966.  After completing boot camp in San Diego and Infantry Training School at Camp Pendleton, he was deployed to Vietnam in December 1966. He served in the 1st Marine Division, 5th Regiment, Delta Company. During his 13 months in Vietnam, Brian was wounded three times and received three Purple Hearts. He participated in significant battles, including Operations Union, Union II, Cochise, and Swift. He was so proud of his Marine Corps service.

In 1993, Marine Corps buddy Jerry Hubert began tracking down members of D1/5 and organized annual reunions, fostering a strong bond with the only men who understood each other’s experiences in Vietnam. These reunions continue each year and have led to a tight knit group we refer to as our Marine Corps family. Sadly, each year more of these Marines are lost to various illnesses, many of which are linked to their exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam.

Brian married Kitty Murphy in 1969, and they raised their children, Lori and Daniel, in Casper, Wyoming, where Brian worked as a heavy equipment operator. Brian and Kitty later divorced but remained good friends. Brian’s love of the outdoors and any kind of challenge led to his (and his best friend Chuck Engstrom’s) becoming an avid canoe racer. He and Chuck won several downriver and whitewater canoeing championships in Wyoming and Colorado. 

Brian later met Kathy Ballard in Longmont. They spent almost 35 years together, married for 33 of those years. They loved to travel and looked forward each Friday to dinners with friends. In 2017, Brian was blessed with another daughter Tracie, who found him through DNA testing. She and her husband Steve were welcome additions to our family.

One of Brian’s greatest passions was hunting in Wyoming and Colorado, providing for his family with meat from bison, elk, deer, and antelope. Later in Colorado he hunted deer and elk near the Donnelly ranch in Kim. Brian also fulfilled his boyhood dream of an African safari, first in Zimbabwe where he became good friends with his professional hunter, Kevin Thomas.  What he thought was a once in a lifetime adventure, turned into seven more safaris in Zimbabwe and South Africa with wife Kathy joining him on three of those trips.   Brian also enjoyed hunting adventures in northern Alberta, Canada, where he became fast friends with his guide, Al Wardale. 

Known for his keen sense of humor, which he sometimes referred to as his darker Marine Corps humor, Brian entertained family and friends with his wit and love of humor. A few of his favorites were The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, and Dexter. He left behind a long list of his own special sayings that we call daddyisms or Brianisms that will continue to be repeated by many who knew him. 

Brian is survived by his wife Kathy, daughters Lori Mathewson (Justin and first husband Gary Stewart) and Tracie Dear (Steve), and son Daniel Spradling; grandchildren Brandon (Ashleigh), Kris, and Kaili Stewart (Kyle), Josh Brown, Tim and Conner Spradling; and great-grandchildren Loralai and Lukas. He is also survived by his siblings Loralee Connell, Nancy Brisbin (Dwight), Lynne Mestas (John), and Susan Raso (Angelo), brothers and sisters in law John and Karen Williams and Ken and Laura Ballard, along with many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and first wife Kitty McLaughlin (Gary). He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Marjorie, stepmother Chiyo Spradling, infant sister Sarah Sue, nephews Phillip and Steven Smith, Michael Mestas, and Brent Alexander, and brother-in-law Lee Connell.  

Brian’s wish was to go back home to Wyoming, so the burial service with military honors will be held at the Cheyenne National Cemetery, 8611 Hildreth Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming on Friday, January 17, at 1 pm. A celebration of life will be announced later on. In lieu of flowers, please donate if you’d like to one of Brian’s favorite charitable organizations, Wounded Warrior Project, Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots or your favorite dog rescue organization. 

Brian led a fulfilled life and left this world on his own terms, peacefully, quietly and with dignity. The legacy he leaves behind will be remembered and passed down to many generations to come.

Once a Marine, always a Marine, Ooh Rah and Semper Fi!

Fair winds and following seas, Brian. We will miss you.