John T. Spanke

His ukulele will play no more. The Hawaiian shirts will go unworn. The next Pacer to score will do so with one less fan. Dr. Spanke has left the court.
With his adoring wife and sons by his side, in a room lined with tearful loved ones, John T. Spanke died on July 20, 2020. Born on the eastside of Indianapolis on February 28, 1955 to Theodore and Roseanna Spanke, John graduated from Cathedral High School in 1973. After earning a B.A. in Psychology from Purdue University in 1976, John completed a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Miami University in 1982. He spent the remainder of the decade serving as a Staff Clinical Psychologist at Southwest Indiana Health Center and a Senior Staff Clinical Psychologist at the Welborn Center, both located in Evansville, Indiana.
After moving to Carmel with the love of his life and their two young sons, John served as a Clinical Psychologist at the St. Vincent Stress Center (1989-1993; 1996-2003), the Indiana Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (1993-1996), and the Meridian Youth Psychiatric Center (2003-2005). From 2005-2015, John also served as a Clinical Psychologist and Chief Psychologist (2014-2015) at the Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital. In 2018, John retired as a Clinical Psychologist with Riley Hospital and the CHOICE Program, selflessly dividing his time with the Indiana School of Medicine, where he also served as a faculty member and taught graduate courses as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry.
And that’s just what he did. Who he was, though, encompassed more than any line on a resume or Curriculum Vitae can ever capture. John was kind. Generous and convicted. Intelligence personified. Honest and humble and governed by a fierce loyalty to integrity and truth. He loved athletics but loathed lazy athletes. Character counts, he’d say, on the court and in life. John would rather look bad and win than look good and lose. For John, sports didn’t just offer a fantastic metaphor for grit and teamwork and fairness and moxie and pluck; they were also just really fun to watch and play and share.
Outside of the clinic, John spent the majority of the 1990s coaching his two sons in a variety of sports, oftentimes serving as their leagues’ commissioner through the Carmel Dads Club. He spent his Fall Saturdays tailgating with family and friends on the golf course before Purdue home football games. He watched the Colts on Sundays and attended Pacers games as a regular season ticket holder since just after the end of the Cold War. The man loved sports and could whoop his boys at a three-point contest well into his sixties.
He also loved his wife, Mary. Together, they traveled the world on boats, planes, trains, and automobiles packed with coolers, cookies, and kids in the backseat. They saw Broadway shows at Clowes Memorial Hall, listened to the symphony at Conner Prairie, drank beer at Bonge’s Tavern, and hardly ever took a picture more than six feet apart. They never practiced social distancing with each other. Not once. In fifty years.
John Spanke was his family’s MVP. He never quit. Never slacked off at practice. Never whined about his salary or requested a trade. He stayed off social media and he did his job as best as he could. He solidified his legacy long before his premature death, and his championed wisdom and kindness and love will ring in the hearts of anyone who played with him. John Spanke is survived by his mother, Roseanna Spanke; his sisters, Jane Walker (Mike) and Mary Ellen Boerner (Chris); his brother, David Spanke (Peggy); his many nieces and nephews; his loving wife of 43 years, Mary, nee Muller; his sons, Jeff and Joe; his daughters-in-law, Kate and Meghan; and his two grandsons, Cole and Jackson. John was preceded in death by his father, Theodore Spanke.
A Celebration of Life visitation will begin at 12 p.m. on July 25 and will be immediately followed by a brief service at 2:30 p.m., and gathering from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. All events will occur at Flanner Buchanan – Carmel (325 E. Carmel Drive, Carmel, IN). In accordance with John’s wishes, and out of respect for the health, safety, and comfort of all in attendance, guests will be expected to adhere to current CDC guidelines regarding appropriate social distancing and the wearing of masks.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Human Fund, “Money for People,” or the foundation of your choice.
Please visit www.flannerbuchanan.com to sign the online guest register.