David Bert Spangler

David was the beloved son of the late Gertrude and the late Paul Spangler. After graduating from Bowen High School, he went on to earn a B.S. and M.S. in Mathematics at Northern Illinois University. He began his career as a middle-school mathematics teacher and later taught at Triton Community College, National-Louis University, and Roosevelt University. For many years David worked as a mathematics textbook editor at the K–12 level. He authored several books and wrote numerous articles for mathematics journals. He was the recipient of the prestigious Lee E. Yunker Mathematics Leadership Award from ICTM. In 1994, David co-founded ActiveMath Workshops, a professional development company for fellow educators. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he provided complimentary puzzles for teachers to use in the virtual classroom setting. Collectively, David worked with and inspired thousands of students and teachers through his diverse mathematics education endeavors.

In 1977, David met his wife Bonnie (née Frost) at a mixer at National-Louis University. David was incredibly proud of his children, Ben (Aaron Goynshor), Jamie (fiancé Andrew Lampert), Joey, and granddog Manny. His family was the center of his universe. David had an effervescent sense of humor and was a devoted fan of the late comedian Jack Benny. He had a passion for swimming, baseball (Cubs fan and little league coach) and music, and he cherished playing with his weekly card group for over 30 years. He was a kind and gentle soul. His legacy of love, education, kindness, and humor will live on. He will be deeply missed by all those whose lives he touched.

David is survived by his wife and children, his sister Anne (Stanley Hollenbeck), his beloved brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, and countless loving friends and colleagues.

Services will be held at Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home on Wednesday, August 24, 11:00 a.m. Interment Oak Ridge Jewish Cemetery. Services will be livestreamed on the Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home web site. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Art Helps Heal (www.arthelpsheal.org), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org), and the Jewish United Fund (www.juf.org).