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Carry Edward “Ed” Spann was born July 19, 1933, to Lenzie Sylvanius and Sammie Alice McDonald Spann, at home, in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and passed from this life November 11, 2023, in Enid, Oklahoma.
Ed was very resourceful, fun, and creative. He loved his children and grandchildren and was always so proud of who they were and what they accomplished. He did his best to support them in every way he could, encouraging them to be all that God intended for them and to seek His will above all else. He set a strong example for them of servant-leadership, putting others' needs above his own. In fact, in his latter months when considering options for living situations, he made it clear he just wanted to be somewhere where he could make a contribution. Part of what made him an effective professor was that he never stopped learning. He read book after book and was reading even to his last day.
He grew up in a musical family--he and his siblings and their father even sang regularly on the radio in Little Rock. Not only was he a choir and congregational music leader, he also started handbell choirs and even a ukulele band for senior adults. He took handbell choirs from Dallas Baptist University on tour to Korea, Thailand, Italy, Austria, and Germany. He was an accomplished oil painter who particularly enjoyed painting landscapes. He gave one of his paintings to each of his children and grandchildren as well as to relatives and friends. He also enjoyed woodworking and carpentry, and made several wooden stand-up nativity sets for front yards (Peanuts-themed, Victorian-themed, etc.).
Apart from music and the arts, Ed was an avid sports participant and fan. He played catcher in baseball and later was a boys basketball coach. He was a runner and even participated in the 1986 Olympic torch relay. His favorite team the past few decades has been the Texas Rangers, so this year was fabulous as they won the World Series! He was known for eating a late-night bowl of ice cream (usually cappuccino chunky chocolate) while watching the Rangers play.
He was raised in North Little Rock, Arkansas, graduating from North Little Rock High School in 1951. He attended Hardin-Simmons University and graduated from Ouachita Baptist University. He then enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned two Masters degrees, then he went on to earn a Ph.D. in Music Education at Florida State University. While at Southwestern Seminary, he served on staff at churches in Fort Worth and through that met the love of his life, Edith Jan Tillinghast, then was drafted into the Army and served in Germany for 2 years. Upon his return from military service, he and Jan were married in 1961.
In subsequent years, he served as Minister of Music in several locations--Little Rock, Arkansas; Perry, Florida; and Rome, Georgia. In Rome, he also was a Professor of Music at Shorter College. From there he was called to the mission field where he served as a Music Missionary in São Paulo, Brazil, from 1971 to 1975. He was instrumental in founding the Department of Sacred Music at the Faculdade (Seminary) Teological Bautista de São Paulo in Brazil. Upon returning to the United States in 1975, he took a position as Professor of Music at Houston Baptist University and taught there till 1977. While in the Houston area, he also served as Minister of Music at Sugar Creek Baptist Church and Garden Oaks Baptist Church.
In 1989, Dr. Spann began serving on the faculty of Dallas Baptist University. In 1991 he became the Dean of the College of Fine Arts and served in that role until his retirement from DBU in 2004. During his years as a church musician, professor, music missionary, and university dean, Dr. Spann wrote many scholarly and practical articles on hymnology, church music, worship, and music ministry. He was also very active during those years as a member of the state Singing Churchmen choirs wherever he lived. After retirement he continued to serve as an Adjunct Professor at Dallas Baptist University. In 2008 he received the Honorary Alumnus of the Year award from Dallas Baptist University. In his retirement he wrote Presidential Praise: Our Presidents and Their Hymns and traveled extensively doing presentations based on the book.
He is survived by his son Matthew Edward Spann and wife LuSinda Jayne Spann, of Enid, Oklahoma; daughter Beverly Carryl Theige and husband Joseph Emil Theige, of Norman, Oklahoma; grandsons, Paul Edward Spann of Norman, Oklahoma and Caleb Nathanael Spann and wife Rebekah Marie (Gungoll) Spann of Enid, Oklahoma; granddaughters, Karrington LaShell (Spann) Swadley and husband Ian Tyler Swadley, of Enid, Oklahoma, Lydia Carol (Spann) Goss and husband Colton Gregory Goss, of Boerne, Texas, and Samantha Grace (Theige) Burnett and husband Max James Fernandez Burnett of Houston, Texas; great grandchildren Lily Grace Swadley, Amos Patrick Swadley, Annalie Joy Swadley, Rosalie Capri Goss, and Ivory Grace Goss. He is also survived by his identical twin brother James Frederick (Fred) Spann, and his younger brother Franklin D (Dee) Spann.
He was preceded in death by his wife Edith Jan Tillinghast Spann, and his sisters Sylvia Nell, Margaret Joyce, and Martha Mae.
Visitation will be on Saturday, November 18, 2023 from 11 am to 1 pm at Roller-Alcoa Funeral Home, 6700 Alcoa Rd, Benton, AR 72015. Interment will follow at 2 pm at McPherson Cemetery, Sardis, AR officiated by Matthew Spann. Ed's memorial service will be on Saturday, November 25, 2023 at 2 pm, First Baptist Church Norman, 211 W Comanche St, Norman, OK 73069. This service will be live streamed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RphHkFjU_Js
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Edward & Jan Spann Scholarship Fund, Dallas Baptist University, 3000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX 75211. Condolences and special memories may be shared with the family online at WWW.Brown-Cummings.com.
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