Dr. Frederick A. Spurgat, a longtime Oak Park resident, died on Feb. 7, 2018. Born Dec. 7, 1929, he came to Concordia Teachers College as a high school freshman in the fall of 1944 and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1952. He was awarded an MBA in Accounting in 1961 and a PhD in Organization Theory in 1976, both from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
He began his lifelong career at Concordia after graduation in 1952, initially as a member of the faculty and also serving as a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod minister. He taught music and accounting, later shifting to organizational theory and economics. He also held many administrative positions at Concordia during his career, including vice president of Administration and Finance (1992-1996), and senior vice president of Administration (1976-1997). He officially retired on Dec. 31, 1997 after 45 years of continuous service on the campus. At his retirement, he was awarded the title of professor emeritus of Economics and Administration. The Concordia physical plant building was named the Spurgat Service Building in 1998. Following retirement, he served as special assistant to the vice president for Finance/CFO through June 2017.
Fred Spurgat was the husband of Eunice G. (nee Nuechterlein); the father of Valerie Crone, Liam Wolf and Julie (Jerry) Novak; the grandfather of James (Jenny) Crone and Joshua and Jacob Novak, the great-grandfather of Addy and Emma Crone, the brother of Frances Benson, Carolyn Meyer, Miki McClelland and Mary Spurgat (deceased).
The funeral was held at The Chapel of Our Lord on the campus of Concordia University on Feb. 10, followed by burial at Concordia Cemetery in Forest Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Frederick and Eunice Spurgat Endowment Fund at Concordia University.
