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SPILMAN FAMILY ABROAD |
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Deane was the second son born to Thomas Spilman and Winnie Fry. His older brother Thomas Leroy died as an infant before Deane was born. He grew up on his parent's farm which had been Tom's inheritance from his father Dan. Deane worked at the Farmers Elevator Co-op in Clear Lake prior to WWII.
He was drafted into WWII in 1942 and served in the US Army Air Force in Roswell, New Mexico. He had trained to be a pilot and had received his "wings". Just before he was sent overseas his superiors discovered he was color blind (Red/Green and Yellow/Blue). He had never mentioned it and no one had ever asked before. They could not allow him to be a pilot and retrained him as an airplane mechanic. He remained stationed in New Mexico until the end of the war in 1945. He married Bette Blahnik January 01, 1945 in Appleton, WI.
They had 4 children and divorced in 1959. His second marriage was to
Shirley Grover. Deane owned and operated "Spilman Appliance Service" in
Mason City, IA. He liked to work on cars, enjoyed snowmobiling and
camping.
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