David L. Spangler, 74, of Oak Harbor, Ohio passed away October 21, 2020. He was born October 21, 1946 in
Defiance, Ohio to the late Leonard and Cecilia (Ensman) Spangler. He married Kathy (Deffenbaugh) Lerch
in 2007 and she survives in Oak Harbor.
Dave proudly served his country as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army for three years,
including a tour in Vietnam where he was awarded both a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He retired from
Johns-Manville after 37 years; he worked there as an operations manager and in various other supervisory
roles.
Dave was licensed by the US Coast Guard and operated a fishing charter boat on the western end of Lake
Erie for 27 years. Extremely passionate about being out on the water in his boat “Dr. Bugs,” he
selflessly shared his vast knowledge with thousands of clients, gifting them with memorable experiences.
He was a fierce advocate for Lake Erie and deeply involved in the Lake Erie Community. He served as Vice
President of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association, on the Lake Erie Waterkeeper Board, as well as the
Lake Erie Foundation Board. Further, he served on the Advisory Board for the Lake Erie Center for Fresh
Water, and was recently appointed to the Advisory Board for Tourism Ohio and to the Great Lakes Fishery
Commission. Dave was an active participant in the Lake Erie Water Quality Monitoring sampling program
since 2012. Journalists, legislators, and Governors regularly took counsel with Dave on lake matters.

Capt. Dave will be fondly remembered by “The Guys”—Paul Pacholski, Randy Riddle, Denny Hoover, Joe
Horstman, Ken Rippy, and many others.
In addition to his wife, Dave is survived by children Courtney (Mike) Cochran and their children Avery
and Aaron Cochran of Charlotte, North Carolina; Jared Lerch and his daughter Adelina Lerch of Maumee,
Ohio; Nathan (Sara) Lerch of Tampa, Florida; and Melissa Lerch of Westerville, Ohio. Other loved ones
include his sister Mary (Vic) Engle of Napoleon, Ohio and Kathy’s parents Lee and Sally Deffenbaugh of
Rudolph, Ohio.
He was preceded in death by his brother Kenneth Spangler.
A private tribute to Dave’s life will be held in Spring of 2021. Funeral Arrangements have been entrusted
to Dunn Funeral Home, located in the Historical District of Bowling Green at 408 West Wooster St.
Memorial contributions may be given in his memory to www.lakeeriewaterkeeper.org or www.fisherhouse.org