John Edwin “Papa John” Spanton, son of the late Edwin “Bud “and Hannah (Cobean) Spanton, was born May 12, 1948, in Monterey California. He passed away on March 1, 2025, at his home in Mountain Grove, Missouri at the age of 76.
John grew up in the Monterey Bay area in California and served in the US Navy. John was united in marriage to Sandra Mollohan on March 17, 1968, and to this union three children were born: Shelley Spanton, Kenny Spanton, and Jody Spanton.
John worked for 30 years at three school districts in California: Monterey Peninsula Unified, Carmel Peninsula Unified, and Pacific Grove Unified School District. All that worked with him and the students he drove around on the school bus called him “Big John”. He retired from Pacific Grove in 2008. John was an extremely loyal and dependable employee and friend to all that knew him. He was loved by so many of the students and their families. He was proud of the binder he kept with different photos and cards he received from the students and their families over the years.
Once John retired, he moved to Mountain Grove to be closer to his kids. John had visited Mountain Grove in 2006 for his oldest son’s wedding and fell in love with the area. A new nick name came to be for John once he moved to Mountain Grove which was “Papa John.” Being retired did not keep him from working. He started working for Lonnie Moody Trucking once he moved to the area. In 2016 he started working at the local sheltered workshop for adults with disabilities called Unique Services. He got to work every day with his daughter Shelley and all the other “kids” at the workshop. Just like in California the kids thought the world of Papa John.
In his free time John loved many things. He would work the scales at the truck pulls over the years. He started with Moody Sled Team and ended with SMTTPA (Southern Missouri Truck & Tractor Pulling Association). He loved to go to the boat drag races and dirt track traces anytime he got a chance. John bowled for many years in California and when he moved to Missouri, he started right back up bowling with his oldest son Kenny. He had a love/hate relationship with the sport. John was an outdoorsman that enjoyed hunting and fishing with his sons, grandson, and friends. You could also find him at any of the Mountain Grove Panthers basketball, football or volleyballs games. If you knew Papa John, he would be one of the first ones at any event.
In his final days John was cared for in his home by his son Jody and granddaughter Morgan.
John was preceded in death by his parents and sister Sarah. John is survived by his daughter Shelley Spanton of Mountain Grove, his two sons Kenny Spanton and wife, Brandie of Mountain Grove, MO and Jody Spanton of Mountain Grove; four grandchildren Casey Spanton, Breanna Fowler, Gatlin Spanton and Morgan Upshaw; three great grandchildren Kash, Hank and Calliope as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
