Darrell E. Spain

Darrell Spain, age 56, Waterville, Kansas, died December 25, 2020, at Community Memorial Healthcare in Marysville, Kansas.

Darrell E. Spain was born March 23, 1964, at Albia, Iowa, the son of Lyle E. Spain and Marilyn L. DeYoung-Spain. The family moved from Albia to Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Marysville, Kansas, and then in 1975 to Waterville, Kansas.  As a youth, he was active in the local, area and state organizations of the Order of DeMolay, a Masonic youth group. He was a Past Master Counselor (presiding officer) of the Blue Rapids, Kansas, Chapter; Past Area Master Counselor of the Southeast Kansas Region; Past State Master Counselor of Kansas, a Member of the Court of Chevaliers; and attended the International Conclave as a Kansas delegate in 1986. Darrell’s father served as a Chapter Adviser and shared in many of the activities and shenanigans that go hand-in-hand with teenage boys.  Darrell graduated as valedictorian of his class from Valley Heights High School in 1982. 

He attended Kansas State University on a Henry Putnam Academic Scholarship and graduated cum laud in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Broadcast Journalism. He then attended the University of Kansas School of Law where he has recognized for outstanding Achievement in the Study of Law in both the 1989 and 1990 Editions of Who’s Who Among American Law Students. He graduated the University of Kansas with his Juris Doctor Degree and was admitted to practice before the Kansas and federal Bars in 1990.   

He first practiced law with the McPherson Law Office, in Great Bend, Kansas, for several years before returning to Waterville to open his own law firm, the Spain Law Office, P.A. He was a past member of the American Bar Association, and an active member of the Kansas, the Northeast Kansas, and Marshall County, Kansas Bar Associations. He had served on the Bench-Bar Relations Committee for the 22nd Judicial “District and was a former City Attorney for the City of Waterville. He practiced law for over 30 years, mostly in his hometown of Waterville.  

At various times, he had been active in the Waterville Lion’s Club, the Valley Heights Rotary Club, the Waterville Chamber of Commerce, and the Waterville Golf Association. He was also a 35-year member of Sutton Lodge No. 85 AF & AM, Waterville, Kansas, and a past member of the Scottish Rite Consistory, Topeka, Kansas. He was also a former President, Board Member, and an active and long time supporter of the Marshall County Habitat for Humanity Association. Other community service included stints on the Board of Directors of Pony Express Big Brothers-Big Sisters Association, on the Board of Directors of the Riverside Cemetery Association, and long-time Chairman of the Waterville Chamber of Commerce’s Easter Egg Hunt.  Darrell was also a member of the K-State Alumni Association, the Pony Express Cat Backers Association, the University of Kansas Alumni Association, the Williams Education Fund at KU, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the Friends of Alcove Springs.  His many interests and hobbies included hiking, history, genealogy, numismatics, collecting sports cards and memorabilia, reading (especially history), gardening, sports trips and concerts. 

He was an avid KU Jayhawk booster sharing season tickets to KU football, basketball, and baseball games with his father for over 30 years.   Darrell loved music and his tastes were varied as evident from the many concerts he attended, which are too numerous to list. His many sporting trips included hockey games to junior, collegiate, minor league and NHL games, including several Stanley Cup play-off games. He also traveled widely to other sporting events with friends Bill Horner, Ron Lampo, Tom Wos, Bill Stieger, and others, including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, and professional golf events in cities across the U.S. and Canada. He also traveled frequently to NCAA sporting events, including the College World Series, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the NCAA Frozen Four, and multiple NCAA Bowl Games.   

Darrell had a great sense of humor and appreciated a good joke. He aspired to be remembered as a loving son, brother and family member, a tried and true friend to his companions, and a trusted and competent counselor to his clients. 

Survivors include his mother, Marilyn Spain, Waterville, and sister, Penny Gerdes, and her husband, Richard, of Castle Rock, Colorado. 

He was preceded in death by his father and best friend, Lyle E. Spain, and his long-time companion and significant other, Betsy Blaser.  

Respect calls may be made between noon and 8:00 pm, Wednesday, December 30th, at Terry-Christie Funeral Home in Waterville.

Due to COVID-19, there will be a private memorial service, with Masonic Rites, will be at 11:00 am, Thursday, December 31, 2020, at Terry-Christie Funeral Home in Waterville. However, the service will be available live on the funeral home’s Facebook page. An inurnment of ashes will follow immediately at the Riverside Cemetery, Waterville, Kansas. Honorary pallbearers are Richard Gerdes, William Horner, Roy Yungeberg, Jeff Thornton, Ron Lampo, Tom Wos, and Bill Steiger. 

Memorials are suggested to the Riverside Cemetery Association, Habitat for Humanity or to the Friends of Alcove Springs, and can be sent in care of the Terry-Christie Funeral Home, PO Box 61, Waterville, KS 66548.