Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) David Watford Spivey, III, a resident of 607 Bank Street, Washington Park, Washington, N.C., died Thursday, October 4, 2012 at his home.
A celebration of Lt. Col. Spivey’s life will be held at the Washington Yacht & Country Club at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, November 3, 2012.
A private burial is planned in Louisburg, N.C. at a later date.
Lt. Col. Spivey was born in Youngsville, N.C. on June 22, 1921 to the late Frances Boddie and David W. Spivey, Jr. In 1928, the family moved to Louisburg, N.C. At about 10 years old, Lt. Col. Spivey began to work in Uncle Sam’s Drug Store and over the next nine years worked his way from soda clerk to sandwich maker to bookkeeper. Lt. Col. Spivey attended the local public schools and graduated from Mills High School in Louisburg in 1938. At age 18, Lt. Col. Spivey joined the local National Guard unit that was among the first called to active duty before the United States entered World War II. He reported to Ft. Jackson, S.C. on September 16, 1940 and served as a Corporal until 1942 when he attended Officer Candidate School. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in 1942 and assigned to the 627th Field Artillery Battalion at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas. His unit landed in France in January, 1945 and served under Gen. George S. Patton. At the war’s end, he oversaw a prisoner of war enclosure that held about 100,000 German soldiers. He was later assigned to occupation duty in Germany, where he remained for three years after World War II. Lt. Col. Spivey remained in the Army and served in Korea during the hostilities there. Later in his career, Lt. Col. Spivey was stationed in Ethiopia training Ethiopian troops in field artillery. He retired from the Army on Sept. 1, 1960 having achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Upon retirement he moved to Washington and accepted a post with the State of North Carolina as Area Coordinator for Emergency Management in a 22 county area of northeastern North Carolina. He retired in July 1983.
Lt. Col. Spivey married Frances Lindora Bost on Feb. 16, 1946. The Spiveys had two children, Patricia Boddie Spivey and David W. Spivey, IV. Mrs. Spivey died on Aug. 2, 2000. On Sept. 28, 2002, Lt. Col. Spivey married Mildred Willard Buckman, who survives. A sister, Betsy Barker Spivey, born in 1922, died in 1968. Lt. Col. Spivey’s daughter died in 2011.
Lt. Col. Spivey was active in the Beaufort County Chapter of the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Zion Shelter and Kitchen, The Blind Center and Eagle’s Wings for many years. He also supported many other local charitable organizations. He was a member of the Washington Rotary Club and the Washington Yacht & Country Club, where he enjoyed playing golf with friends. Lt. Col. Spivey was also a member of the First United Methodist Church of Washington, N.C.
In addition to his wife, Mildred, Lt. Col. Spivey is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Betty of Concord, N.C.; son-in-law, James M. Davis of Swansboro, N.C.; a granddaughter, Jamie Davis Williams and husband Derrick of Swansboro, N.C.; a great-grandson, Gavin James Williams of Swansboro, N.C.; a stepson, James Franklin Buckman, IV and wife Kaye of Washington, N.C. and their daughters, Cameron Buckman Smitz and Sarah Katherine Buckman; a stepdaughter, Bettye Buckman Nichols and husband Al of New Bern, N.C. and their daughters, Elizabeth Wright Nichols, Mariah Buckman Nichols and Sarah Franklin Nichols; a nephew, Paul W. Lavender, and a niece, Beth Williams.
Online condolences may be offered to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com.
Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Spivey family.