William Spirk, O.F.M.

Franciscan Brother William (Vernon) Spirk, OFM, a Midwest native who served in the Southwest for 26 years, died of cardiac arrest November 25, 2017 in Albuquerque, N.M. Bill was born on April 8, 1945 in Dayton, Ohio, one of three children of John and Zita (Voskuhl) Sprik. He attended St. Joseph parish elementary school and Kiser High School in Dayton before entering the St. Joseph's Brothers' School in Oldenburg, Ind., in 1963. A tailor by trade, Bill also served as pastoral assistant in St. John Parish in Roswell, St. Joseph Parish in San Fidel and the Acoma Pueblo, in Roswell, N.M., Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Chinle, Ariz., Sacred Heart Parish in Emporia, Kan., St. Boniface in Lafayette, Ind., St. Francis of Assisi Friary in Centerville, Oh., and St. Mary's of Lourdes in Metamora, III. After several years ministering in Dayton, and caring for his aging mother, Bill returned to the Southwest at Alamogordo, N.M. before retiring to the San Juan Diego Friary in Albuquerque.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and by his sister and brother-in-law, Janet and Bernhard Behnken. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law Steven and Jean Spirk of Kettering, Oh. He is also survived by friar classmates Kenneth Beetz, Norbert Bertram, Matthias Crehan, Larry Dunham, John Friebel, Joseph Hund, Dale Jamison, Max Langenderfer, Sean Murnan, and Ricardo Russo.