Gary Lee Spangler, 80, of Howell, Michigan, passed away on January 12, 2026. Gary was born in Rockford, Illinois on June 26, 1946, son of Lee and Helen Spangler. He went on to graduate from Rockford’s East High School, class of 1963. In 1964 he started work in the tool and die industry at Rockford Screw Products, working his way up to a Class-A Machinist, and in 2006 retired after a 42-year long tenure. He married the love of his life, Margaret “Marge” Wilson, on June 22, 1968, in Rockford. They shared almost 50 years of marriage before her passing in April of 2018, and in 2019 Gary set off to Michigan.
He is survived by his children, Gregory (Melissa) Spangler and Cheryl (Brett) Merrick; seven-grandchildren, Jacob, Mitchell, Amanda, Madison, Tristan, Collin and Ethan; great-grandchildren, Theodore and Juniper; his sisters, Wilma and Shirley, as well as three special friends. He is predeceased by his beloved wife Marge, as well as his brother, Harold, and his sister, Vivian.
Visitation will take place on Saturday, January 24, 2026, from 10:00 – 11:00a.m. with a funeral service at 11:00a.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, 3910 N. Rockton Ave., Rockford, Illinois 61103. Burial to follow at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Winnebago, Illinois. To send condolences online or share memories, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com
