Lyle G. Spahn

Lyle George Spahn was born October 1, 1926 in Sutton, NE to parents George and Hattie (Hatcliff) Spahn. He graduated from Sutton High School in 1944 and worked at the munitions depot in Hastings until there was an explosion.He volunteered for the draft and reported to Fort Leavenworth, KS.Because the war was winding down and he had high blood pressure, he was allowed to go home. Lyle spent his life working for the Burlington railroad.An injury on the job landed him in Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln where Bonnie Banks was a nursing student.Lyle was very proud that he received an extra nightly back rub from Bonnie and they married less than a year later, on January 11, 1948.Lyle and Bonnie were reunited 71 years later, as Lyle passed away on their wedding anniversary. He and Bonnie had six children, all of whom were born in Sioux City, IA.In 1961, the family moved to Lincoln.Lyle worked for the Burlington Railroad for 42 years, and retired as a conductor on Amtrak. The pivotal event of Lyle’s life was trusting Jesus Christ as his Savior at age 22.He spent the rest of his life studying the Scripture and serving his Lord.Every summer for over 40 years, Lyle, Bonnie and family were actively involved in Iowa Bible Camp in various roles.Lyle counseled and loved spending the days in his boat, taking campers for rides and water skiing.Lyle served on its Board and the memories and friendships made there were cherished throughout the years. Lyle loved spending time with family, the Rocky Mountains, hunting and fishing. He especially enjoyed fishing for trout and sometimes drew a crowd of spectators watching him reel in fish in downtown Estes Park. Lyle discovered that retirement was the busiest time of all.He and Bonnie loved to travel to visit their children. He enjoyed fishing trips to Colorado, Canada, and anywhere the fish were biting. In his last 10 years, he found a special joy in his great grandchildren and enjoyed their visits and hearing stories about them. Lyle is survived by his six children:Randy (Sibyl) Spahn, Gretna; Gary (Arlene) Spahn, Glen Haven, CO; Jim (Kelly) Spahn, Munds Park, AZ; Andrea (Terry) Cooney, Omaha; Tim Spahn, Lincoln and Susan Spahn, Omaha.Lyle was blessed with 13 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.Randy has two children, Katie (Michael) Fagan and Tyler Spahn. Gary has two children, Dan (Kim) Spahn and Sherri Spahn.Jim has one child, Brandon Spahn.Andrea has five children, Jacob (Melissa) Cooney, Bethany (David) Soukup, Jonathan Cooney, David Cooney and Philip (Amy) Cooney, Tim has three children Jackson, Hugh and Bailey Spahn. Lyle was preceded in death by his wife, Bonnie, his brother, Melvin and his parents. Memorials may be directed to the Iowa Bible Camp. To leave online condolences please visit www.bramanmortuary.com Visitation will be held Monday, January 14, 2019 at Braman Mortuary (Southwest Chapel) from 5-7PM. Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, January 15, 2019, at 11AM at Braman Mortuary (Southwest Chapel) Burial will take place at Wyuka Cemetery. In Lieu of Flowers please make memorial contribution to Iowas Bible Camp (hello@iowabiblecamp.org) Braman Mortuary (Southwest Chapel) 6505 S. 144th Street Omaha, NE 68137 402-895-3400