Douglas (Doug) Corwin Spencer, age 81 of Oakley, reposed in the Lord peacefully, but unexpectedly, in his home on March 14, 2025. He was born on July 29, 1943, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Corwin C. and Helen L. (Iserman) Spencer. At the time, his father was stationed at Camp Carson with the 89th Division. For the next several years, Doug and his mother followed Corwin’s military assignments across the country before settling in Topeka with Helen’s family.
Following the Allied victory and Corwin’s military discharge, the family moved to Corwin’s hometown of Oakley, Kansas, where Corwin resumed his legal practice. Doug later welcomed his sister, Diane C. (Spencer) Kirby, and his brother, James A. Spencer.
As a young boy, Doug roamed the streets and alleys of Oakley with neighborhood friends, only finding trouble occasionally. In one memorable incident, he and his buddies discovered a neighbor’s root cellar where they delighted in dropping jars of vegetables down the cellar air vent. The fun ended when the elderly neighbor complained to Doug’s father, who made a quick trip to the grocery store to replace the spoiled food.
Doug attended Oakley schools and graduated from Oakley High School in 1961. He went on to receive his History degree in 1965 and his J.D. in 1969, both from Washburn University in Topeka. His undergraduate years included a semester at the University of Copenhagen followed by several months of traveling Europe by moped. His adventure including riding the Autobahn for a few hours. It is worthy of note that he most likely survived that day due to a kindly German couple who stopped him to suggest routes that were more compatible with a machine having a top speed of 25 miles per hour.
On February 15, 1969, Doug arrived in Boulder, Colorado, to deliver furniture to his sister. That trip changed his life when his sister’s roommate, Katherine A. Dusckas, captured his eye and his heart. After a whirlwind romance, Doug and Kathy were married on August 3, 1969, in Kathy’s hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. They were blessed with three amazing sons: James Corwin, Stephen Douglas, and Paul Clifton.
Doug was the third generation of Spencer attorneys in Oakley, stretching back to his grandfather, C.A. Spencer, who hung his shingle in 1907. Doug practiced law full-time from 1969 until his passing, preparing for work even on the morning of his death. He served for many years as Logan County Attorney and the Oakley City Attorney. Doug believed strongly that law was a public service, and he was honored on two occasions by the Kansas Bar Association for providing legal services free of charge to the poor and represented indigent defendants throughout western Kansas. Doug loved the law, but he loved helping his clients even more, especially the elderly and needy. Over his career, he had the pleasure of working with his father, his brother, and his son, James. Since 1997, Kathy worked closely with Doug as his Office Manager and Secretary.
Doug was actively involved in his community, including the Oakley Lions Club, the Boy Scouts of America—where during 15 years he served as Assistant Den Leader to Kathy and as Cubmaster—and the Oakley Area Chamber of Commerce.
Doug discovered a love for singing as he came to know the Lord at the Oakley Community Church, under the ministry of Rev. W.E. and Nina Omberg. He sang in numerous community cantatas, was a founding member of the Tumbleweed Chorus in Colby, and on many evenings, his fine baritone voice joined in harmony with Kathy and often their sons around the living room piano. Over the years, he was asked to sing solos in various churches in Oakley.
While no great shakes at sports during his youth, Doug came into his own as an adult. For decades, he played table tennis and tennis weekly with his best friend, Bob J. Clark, often competing in tournaments and the Kansas Senior Olympics. His sons, Stephen and Jim, often joined in. On several occasions, Doug remarked that he had always looked forward to the day his sons could beat him, but that it wasn’t all that much fun when it happened. In later years, it was a familiar sight to see Doug and Kathy bicycling around Oakley with their beloved Siberian husky. Doug enjoyed exercise, and even the weekend before his passing, he was using his BowFlex and hoping to get his stationary bike repaired.
Doug was raised in a loving, supportive family and raised his own family with the same values. He was a devoted son, husband, father, and grandfather, cherishing every moment with his loved ones. He and Kathy were inseparable. He was deeply involved in all of his sons’ lives, never missing school events and spending countless hours with them playing sports, go-karting, singing, building models, watching games on TV, and attending scouting events.
Since 2013, Doug and Kathy have been active members of Three Hierarchs Antiochian Orthodox Christian Mission in Garden City, Kansas. Doug cherished the depth of the Orthodox faith and was tonsured as Reader Mark in 2018 by His Grace, Bishop Basil (Essey) at St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Wichita. Doug’s faith was central to his life, and he will be dearly missed by his parish community.
Doug is survived by his loving wife, Kathy, of Oakley; his son, James C. Spencer, and wife, Traci M. (Bridge) Spencer, of Wichita, and their children, Anna, Corwin, David, Daniel, Elias, and Elena; his son, Stephen D. Spencer, and wife, Madeline O’Brien, of Lawrence; and his son, Paul C. Spencer, and wife, Erica (Sewell) Spencer, of Litchfield, AZ, and their children, Aaliyah, Alyxandria, Isabella, and Elliana. He is also survived by his brother, James A. Spencer, and wife, Carol (Neider) Spencer, of Ramona, CA; and his sister, Diane C. Kirby, of Longmont, CO and her daughters, Sarah Millard and Laura Garwood. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Services in memory of Doug are as follows: Trisagion and Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, March 21, 2025 at Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home with Fr. Philip Vreeland officiating. Graveside interment will follow at the Oakley Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, March 20th from 5 to 8 p.m. and Friday, March 21st from 1 to 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials to Three Hierarchs Mission, Prison Fellowship Ministries, Justice for All, and Choices Medical Clinic may be sent in care of Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home, P.O. Box 221, Oakley, KS 67748. Flowers may be sent to the funeral home before the funeral or to the family home after the funeral.