'Beneficiaries of his vision' Spencer mourns the loss of Mike Spinks

Those who knew Mike Spinks say it's hard to find the right words to describe him, not because he was complicated or difficult to work with, but because he was more. More patient than most, more generous with his time, more dedicated to the quiet, everyday work of making Spencer better.

And even near the end, despite a brief bout with an aggressive form of stomach cancer, he was still thinking about Spencer and its future.

Spinks passed away on Oct. 23.

"He took time to call me. He's barely worked with me, and he talked about continuing on with the town... He had so much going on in the end and that was still a concern of his," fellow councilman Evan McKalip said. McKalip has served on the Spencer Town Council with Spinks for about two years. "He was worried about me. He was worried about the town still. I think that says a lot about his character."

Service to Spencer and the citizens of Owen County was integral to who Spinks was, offering steady leadership, a visionary approach, and a deep love for the entire community.

"It's a huge loss for Spencer and the community and Owen County because he was so involved with a lot of different projects. His expertise, his background touched on a lot of subjects, and he applied them all to his job and work with the town," County Councilman Anton Neff said.

Spinks served two separate stints on the Spencer Town Council. The first was for about six months before he moved outside of the town limits and was no longer eligible to serve. Former council member Dean Bruce filled his spot.

"Sometimes life is 360, and he ended up right back in town and jumps back in and gets involved again. So that's dedication and passion for you," Neff said.

But Spinks' indelible mark on the community extends beyond his time on the town council.

Spinks was responsible for starting both the Spencer Redevelopment Commission and the tourism board.

"He really had a great vision for both the county and the town, and was instrumental in getting a number of programs started and maintained and aggressive to promote economic development for the entire county and the town," Spencer Town Attorney Richard Lorenz said. "And I think he's one of the people that you would have to look to to say that they had the vision and aspirations for the county that it was going to achieve a community ambience, an aura that was beneficial to all the population. He just really saw it that way."

Lorenz described how Spinks would visit other communities to learn about opportunities for growth and improvement for Spencer.

Town Clerk-Treasurer Cheryl Moke also described how Spinks started the Spencer Redevelopment Commission.

"That was something nobody did here. And it wasn't really big in small towns, I don't think," Moke said. "He saw how it could grow and how it could help us do things, and it's starting to show."

Moke said she met Spinks more than 50 years ago when she moved to Spencer. Spinks lived two doors down from her.

In addition to his service to the Town of Spencer, Spinks was a member and former president of the Redevelopment Association of Indiana, a mentor for SCORE which helps young businesses thrive, a member of the Owen County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Economic Development Corporation, a member of the Spencer Plan Commission, chairman of the Board of Service Concepts and a member of several other boards.

He also helped develop the business plan for Patriot Manufacturing at Owen Valley High School.

"He was a caring, kind person. He was very knowledgeable. He spent a lot of time learning about the different boards that he was on and contributed greatly," Moke said.

And he was well known for his impact and leadership in Spencer.

"You know, when I go places and to some of my conferences and things, whenever I say I'm from Spencer or Owen County, there's sometimes some names that come up, and Mike Spinks was one of those names. He had a good reputation and had done a good job of networking and representing Owen County and Spencer," Neff said.

More so, Spinks was known for his collaborative spirit, calm resolve and quiet conviction. He was someone who cared about people, process and progress, not credit.

"He participated in all these boards, and also reached out to Indiana University and their ROI teams for things they were doing there," Lorenz said. "He bridged the gap of having the personality to encourage these relationships and foster new and better relationships between the various entities, and I think he helped resolve some conflicts that from time to time would occur… It's one of those things you can't articulate with a particular name or denomination. It's just his involvement was so expansive and so completely in favor of trying to build the community."

Spinks won the Owen County Heart of the Community Award in 2017 and the Owen County Humanitarian Award in 2022.

Moke also spoke of Spinks' positive attitude toward the work he put in for the town.

"He never complained, always provided what was needed," she said.

She noted how he always made himself available when he was needed and that you could turn to Spinks if you had a question.

"He was a servant to the town in the best definition of that word for an office holder. He did everything he could for it," Moke said.

She, like Lorenz, struggled to have adequate words to describe Spinks.

"I don't know the correct word for his personality," Moke said, offering several words and dismissing each as inadequate. "There's something more that I can't quite pinpoint because of the way he wanted to be involved and the way he wanted to accomplish something but still he wasn't pushy about it. He was very kind throughout everything."

She also commented on his respect for others.

"He didn't get in arguments with the other [council] members, or even the County or anything like that," she said.

McKalip noted that Spinks was never antagonistic, always calm and that he never saw Spinks stressed out or upset.

Professionally, Spinks worked for Hoosier Energy for 43 years. And when he wasn't in service to others, he loved spending time with his family, always bringing up recent visits in conversation. As deeply as Spinks cared for the town of Spencer, he cared even more so about his family.

"He was a very impressive man," McKalip said. "It's very, very big shoes to fill."

McKalip noted that part of Spinks' care of and forward thinking for the town was ensuring that there was extended legacy, beyond the time that Spinks would serve, taking the extra time to share the knowledge he had about various items.

"He was concerned about younger people picking that up," McKalip said.

There will be a caucus to fill the open Spencer Town Council position at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Democratic Party Headquarters, 152 E. Jefferson St., Spencer. Those interested should reach out to Party Chair Bill Breeden.

Lorenz spoke of the vision Spinks had for the community.

"He could see that we needed to have this way of having the community grow and prosper and enjoy the benefits that we have in Owen County and the town of Spencer. He didn't see it as the town of Spencer only. He clearly was thinking of the entire county and the entire populace of the county," Lorenz said. "We're going to be the beneficiaries of Mike's vision for years to come and his memory should be respected and appreciated for all that he put into these projects."