Donald Henry Spilker

1933 - 2025

Donald Henry Spilker

1933-2025

Donald Henry Spilker, 92, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully in Sandy, Utah on September 8, 2025. Don brought fullness to the lives of those around him through dedication to God, family, friends, and a career of teaching.

Born on February 10, 1933 to Henry and Alice (Weiss) Spilker, Don was the third of six children. The family grew up in Salt Lake City, where Don graduated from South High School in 1951.

As the USA was defending South Korea, Don volunteered in 1952 and served in the Air Force for 4 years, including time spent at Wakkanai Air Base in northern Japan. In his later years, Don told stories with pride about watching for enemy planes and working in the frigid temperatures that often threatened to freeze the diesel fuel. After his honorable Air Force service, Don accepted the call to serve an LDS mission in Northern Germany, where he spent two and a half years. There, he became fluent in German and gained a love of the native language of his parents.

Don met and fell in love with Donna René Ream at a dance class at the University of Utah in early 1961, and they were married in the Salt Lake temple on December 15 of the same year. He graduated from BYU in 1963 and chose to make his career as an educator, where he spent 28 years teaching German, English, and Stage Crew at Kearns High School. During his early teaching years, he worked as a part-time postal carrier to earn extra money for the family. As a teacher, Don had the uncommon luxury of spending summers with family. When the kids were young, the entire Spilker clan worked together in Don's summertime lawn and yard care business. Growing up as a Spilker meant getting your hands dirty, knowing the value of hard work, and finding joy in it.

Don had a deep love of nature and spent years of his life outdoors, especially when it meant sharing this time with family. His favorites were fishing, hunting, and hiking, as well as spontaneous long Sunday drives to visit some not-yet-explored corner of Utah, including a visit to extended family along the way. The most beloved outings were the regular fishing trips to Strawberry Reservoir. These trips began in the 1970s with grandpa Henry and included pre-dawn drives from Salt Lake, landing plenty of trout, and the traditional post-fishing lunch stops at the Dairy Keen in Heber City.

Don smiled with the simple things: root beer floats, running the table at Hearts, gardening, and collecting golf balls. He tended to his vegetable garden and fruit trees with nearly as much care as his children. His sandwich-sized beefsteak tomatoes, sweet corn, and enormous banana squash were renowned in the neighborhood. At one point, his collection of golf balls easily exceeded 10,000.

As an active life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Don served in various callings, including counselor in the bishopric, Scoutmaster and as a leader in the Explorer and Webelos programs. Don & René served three part-time mission assignments in St. George and Elberta, Utah, where they also worked as temple ordinance workers.

Don's parents lived the dream of American immigrants, raising a family who knew that hard work and education would lead to prosperity. Don passed this strong work ethic on to his own children, his students, and the youth in his ward. Don and his siblings learned how to stretch a dollar and how to "make do with less". He was both famously and humorously frugal throughout his life.

Don is survived by his wife, René, five children, David (Deb), Annette (Doug) Kohlert, Colleen (Nathan) Henderson, Alan (Elizabeth), Mark (Amy), and his youngest brother, Frank (Kathy). He was the proud grandfather of 22 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Alice, two sisters, Elva and Ellen, and two brothers, Melvin and Raymond.

A viewing (10:00 am MDT) and celebration of Don's life (11:00 am MDT) will be held on September 16th at the River Ridge 8th Ward chapel, 1409 West Shields Lane, South Jordan, UT 84095.

Don will be laid to rest with military honors at the Utah Veterans Cemetery at Camp Williams, 17111 South Camp Williams Road, Bluffdale, UT 84065.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the LDS Humanitarian Fund or a charity of your choice.