Jack Carl Spafford

Jack was born in Safford, Arizona on February 16, 1945. He was a little boy that loved to go to the Gila river and play in the jungle growth. As a teenager he threw the shot put in track and excelled in football, playing tackle on an undefeated Safford High team. He won all state awards in both offense and defense, with letters to several colleges. He instead chose to enter the Arizona National Guard. He became a marksman in the military. In 1965 he married Guenda Nadine Bauer. They had 50 years of happy marriage, raising two girls, Erin Nadine, and Audra Carline.

The Spafford family moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1966 where Jack went to work at the Anamax Mines until closure in 1980, started his own business in Green Valley for a few years and then applied and was accepted for the Arizona Department of Corrections in 1985, working most of the units at the Wilmot State Prison, from minimum custody to lock down. He then asked to start the K-9 unit at Wilmot and was granted the wish, becoming their first

K-9 narcotics officer, winning multiple trophies at the K-9 Olympics with two different K-9 partners. He served on the swat team at the Wilmot facility through most of his work, where he excelled in shooting, training at a sniper school at one point. He also served as firearms rangemaster.

Jack retired in 2005 and threw himself into retirement in the same fashion as he had during his entire life. Earlier years he had loved to shoot target archery at PSE and had spent many hours either at the PSE range, or on the practice range at home. In the background there had always been his bicycle. After retirement he threw himself into bicycling in all forms. Jack won 3 gold medals in the Tour de Tucson and 1 gold medal Tour de Phoenix. He and Guenda also rode a racing tandem on many local tours around Arizona, as well as riding with his Green Valley buddies. Due to a horrible accident in 2010 our life changed drastically. Jack passed away Monday 18, Jan. due to a traumatic brain injury. There are no services planned. A celebration of life date is to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jack can be made to Greater Arizona Bicycling Association.