Richard Earl Spruill of Tyler, Dallas and Marshall, Texas died the morning of January 24, 2017 after a long fight with Parkinsons disease.

Born in Pittsburg, Texas on August 26, 1942, Richard is the son of William Earl and Lillian Love Spruill. His Dad died in 1973. His mother survives him as does his sister, Barbara Nell Spruill, of Dallas.

His hometown is Tyler, Texas. He graduated from John Tyler High School in 1961. He attended the University of Texas and then, graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University, in 1965. He married Linda Kay York (John Tyler High Class of '62), in 1964 at Queen Street Baptist Church, in Tyler. He served in the U.S. Army, 142nd Signal Battalion, 2nd Armored Division, Fourth Army, Ft. Hood, from 1966 until 1968. Through 52 years of faithful marriage, Richard and Linda raised three kids – Kimberly, Kelli and Rick. Kimberly and Kelli live in Dallas. Rick lives in Corpus Christi. They have six grandchildren: Danielle, Jessica, Andrew, Timothy, Samuel and Ella. Richard's entire career was in financial management with Sunoco. All but two years of his career were in Dallas. He retired in 1995, as the Assistant Treasurer and Cash Flow Manager of Oryx Energy, a spinoff of Sunoco.

He and Linda were members of First Baptist Church, Dallas until they retired to Marshall, Texas. There, they ran Heart's Hill Bed and Breakfast and attended First United Methodist Church. Richard loved Jesus. He and Linda taught innumerable Sunday School classes, led countless bible studies and prayer groups and touched untold lives through the decades.

In addition to his mother and sister, Richard is survived by his wife, children and five of his six grandchildren. His oldest granddaughter, Danielle, preceded him in death in 2013.