John Edward Springer

John Edward Springer, 67, of Stephenville, Texas, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2014. Memorial Service will be 2:00 PM Friday, January 2, 2015 at First United Methodist Church in Stephenville with Reverend Howard Martin officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Stephenville Funeral Home. John was born in Casper, Wyoming, on March 5, 1947. He spent his younger years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and moved to Mineral Wells, Texas, in 1956. He graduated from Mineral Wells High School in 1965, and from the University of Texas in Austin, in 1970, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics. He received his master's degree in Information Systems from Tarleton State University in 2003. Upon graduation, he worked for Teledyne Exploration in the seismographic industry. He became a certified weather observer and was founder/owner of the JES Corporation from 1987-2000. During that time he operated this business in Alexandria, Mineral Wells, Cotulla, and El Dorado. From 2000-2003, while working on his master's degree in Information Systems, he also created an extensive online poker system. "Rush Poker" was developed into a poker system which significantly enhanced the way online poker is now played. Mr. Springer was very active in Stephenville local politics. He became Erath County Republican Party Chairman from 2005-2009. He took great pride in the fact that the local Republican Party achieved significant growth under his leadership. He joined the First United Methodist Church of Stephenville in 2008, and was an active member. He served as class president of the Pathfinder's Sunday School class, and in the words of one of his class members, "he made intelligent comments, adding to each lesson being taught." He was also a member of the adult hand bell choir, the Resurrection Ringers, and the Wednesday evening bible study group. Finally, he thoroughly enjoyed being a part of The OLD Goats, a local coffee group, which meets daily. He appreciated the friendships and lively conversation that this group of diverse individuals offered. John was preceded in death by his father, Edward Lee Springer, his mother Helen Jay Springer, and his nephew Austin Taylor Embry. He is survived by his sister, Robbie Mullennix and husband Justin, his sister Ann Embry and husband Kenny, his nephew Reese Mullennix and niece Kelsey Embry. Memorials may be made in John's memory to The First United Methodist Church of Stephenville, or Erath County Republican Party, PO Box 1079, Stephenville, TX 76401.