Rodney Blaine Spoor

Rodney Blaine Spoor, a 43 year resident of Las Vegas, passed away peacefully with loved ones at his side, at Desert Springs Hospital, on Friday, February 27, 2015 after a long illness.

Rod, and his family, were extremely grateful for the kindness and compassion they experienced from the staff of Nurses, CNAs, Physical Therapists, Doctors and general hospital personnel.

Rod was born August 8, 1939 in Lincoln, Nebraska to Ellwood and Evelyn Spoor. He was avid in youth sports and enjoyed spending time on his grandparent's farm in Red Cloud, NE. Rod often referred to himself later in life as ""just a simple farm boy from Nebraska.""

Rod graduated from Lincoln High School in 1957 and went on to graduate from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Teaching / Physical Education, a true Cornhusker; he was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. While at the University, Rod accepted a job with The Nebraska Book Company and began working in the University Bookstore, that led to a career that spanned three decades and took him from Lincoln, Nebraska to Bozeman, Montana and eventually to UNLV in Las Vegas. In 1966 Rod married Charlene Hamilton Spoor (LHS Class of 1959), they had two children, a son, Monte and a daughter, Holly.
Following Rod's career in the book business, he started working with Sherwin Williams - it put him right in the thick of all the things he loved with home improvement. After retiring from Sherwin Williams, Rod took time to travel and enjoy his free time. Favorite weekend activities included attending car shows, craft fairs, outdoor concerts, checking out garage sales and watching sports.
Rod fancied himself a bit of a cook - his specialty was Beef & Noodles. Rod also was quite the collector and enjoyed decorating for each and every holiday.
Rod had a compassion for animals, his beloved cat Cactus Jack was a great source of joy for Rod for many years.

One of Rod's great passions in life was coaching; he spent many years coaching Little League Baseball, Pop Warner Football and Bobby Sox Softball. He impacted many lives of both his players and their families. Also an athlete himself, Rod played semi-pro baseball briefly after high school. Later, while living in Las Vegas, he enjoyed playing in a men's Softball League and helmed a team of his own, ""Rod's Renegades"" that was made up of many of his closest friends.

Rod was a big fan of college football & basketball and NASCAR. He was very happy to see his beloved New England Patriots win the Super Bowl this year.
Rod had many special experiences over his lifetime, he saw Elvis perform, he met Roy Orbison and he learned how to operate a carousel as he volunteered at the Magical Forest at Opportunity Village. As mentioned Rod had a love of home improvement, he built a house in Bozeman and was often renovating the family cabin in Utah as well as many projects around his primary residence in Las Vegas.

Family, longtime friends and colleagues will miss Rod. His Father, Ellwood and mother, Evelyn as well as his Uncle Pete and Aunt Erma, preceded Rod in death. Rod is survived by his daughter Holly Spoor of Henderson, his son Monte Spoor of Las Vegas, grandson Jacob Durski of Alabama, and great granddaughter McKinley, sisters Joyce Ryan and Karen Spoor of California, niece Kimberly Softley Harper (Tom) of Las Vegas, nephew Jeff Softely of California, and cousins Allan and Marilyn Peate of Nebraska. In addition, Rod had many close friends that he considered family including Todd and Joyce Wheeler of Des Moines, Iowa and Lynda and Cesar Lopez and their children, David, Gabriel and Lily, of Las Vegas.
If you would like to honor Rod's memory, please consideration a donation to one of the following, all near and dear to his heart: The Nevada Historical Museum, Youth Sports Leagues or a No Kill Animal Rescue group.

At Rod's request, there is no service scheduled - but perhaps "" great party with music and friends and beer"" down the road.