My friend, musician and Gardnerville Ranchos resident John "Fingers" Spradley died Tuesday night, according to his wife, Bonnie. I never got to hear him play.
He played with the Coppertunes along with John and Gina Pettinger, and served as master of ceremonies at Buckaroos.
John and I mostly exchanged e-mails and the rare phone conversation, but I always enjoyed his notes. It was good to have someone I could talk to unguardedly about the news.
It was John who took the photo of flames shooting from the top of the Centerville Bar when it burned in 2006.
A late-night scanner listener, John was responsible for more than one tip that turned into a story for The Record-Courier. As a musician he was familiar with our local venues and had a story for each one.
John was also a member of that exclusive club of Record-Courier letter writers. We published his last letter April 10, 2009, about the cutting of out-patient cancer treatment.
John suffered from cancer and worked at home. He'd received a clear test back in January and was out playing again. The last real exchange I had with him was in May after the Mottsville plane crash. He welcomed me back from vacation.
I'm going to miss coming into work first thing and finding a note from John waiting for me.
Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Reach him at khildebrand@recordocourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215
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