Lt. Col. George “Spike” Lewis Capwell Jr. (Ret.), 81, was received in heaven Wednesday, December 9, 2015.
Mr. Capwell was born March 25, 1934 in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to American George Capwell, president of the electric company, who established Capwell Stadium in 1945. Originally a baseball field, the stadium is now home to the Emelec Soccer Club.
The Capwell family transferred to Panama, and Spike graduated from Balboa High School, Canal Zone, in 1951. He then attended the Citadel military academy in South Carolina and upon commencement enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He married Noreen Rawleigh, also a Second Lieutenant in the Marines, in 1958; they had seven children. While recovering from severe injuries sustained during his second Vietnam tour, he earned his Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies at San Diego State University, which allowed him to return to Panama in 1974 as Disaster Relief Coordinator for Southcom. In 1979, he retired as a Lt. Colonel in Twentynine Palms, California. He then served the County of Riverside, again as a Disaster Relief Coordinator, retiring in 1999. He and his wife have lived in Yucca Valley since 1977.
Throughout his career, Spike was a beloved swim coach for the Marine Corps, the Twentynine Palms Dolphins, the Yucca Valley Seahorses, the Riverside Health Department, as well as many others. Spike was an avid fan of USC football and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Noreen; daughter Michielle Trotter, six sons George III, Joseph, Michael, Richard, Trevor and James; ten grandchildren (David, Joseph Jr., Natasha, Trevor Jr., Whitney, Crystal, Tyler, Jaelynne, Brooklynne, Katelynne); twelve great-grandchildren; three sisters, Kathleen McGuiness, Jeanne Harris and Dorothy Capwell; one brother, Robert Capwell; nieces and nephews Mark, Tracey, Shawn (McGuiness), Rob, Brenda, Matt, Tim (Harris), and Carrie (Capwell).
A memorial service will be offered Tuesday, December 15 at 2 p.m. at Wiefels in Yucca Valley, California.
Posted in: Wiefels Yucca Valley Mortuary
Posted on: 2015-12-14
Link to original obituary: http://hosting-24243.tributes.com/obituary/show/George-L.-Capwell-Jr.-103088445