March 23, 1964 – June 24, 2021
Lisa Kay Spangler, 57, Noblesville, passed peacefully at home at 7:00 p.m. on June 24, 2021, surrounded by her beloved wife and those who cared for her most closely throughout her 3+ year odyssey with breast cancer.
Lisa was born on March 23, 1964 in Wabash, Ind., to Don and Ruth Spangler. Growing up and into her teenaged years, she learned and assisted with various aspects of the family’s small electronics repair business, later crediting those early experiences with having instilled in her the strong work ethic so many knew her for. Summers spent in Pennsylvania, where her extended family maintained orchards outside of Gettysburg, also contributed not only to Lisa’s hard-working attitude but an appreciation for and many memories of the family bonds and traditions that were always so important to her.
Following graduation from Wabash High School, Lisa went on to attend Marion College, where she majored in Business and Accounting, ultimately attaining an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. For 10+ years, Lisa was the Controller for the Greensburg Daily News, followed by 10 years as the Director of Finance at PERQ in Indianapolis. Most recently, Lisa was looking forward to leaning into a new role as the Manager of Financial Reporting and Budgeting with IU Health, but was unable to realize her contribution, due to advancing illness.
For many years, Lisa was the key organizer of the Professional Women’s Group (PWG), a networking and social organization serving the Indianapolis-area lesbian community. Lisa was dedicated to providing a forum for local women to make connections and further build the community. Lisa also served as Treasurer on the board of the Indiana Youth Group. An avid golfer, she was a member of the LPGA amateur golf association.
In 2006, Lisa attended a poker game, where she not only took home the pot but met the woman she would eventually marry. Together, they enjoyed common interests in outdoor pursuits, antiquing and estate sales, board games and puzzles, beautifying their shared home and garden, and doting on their adoring Boston Terrier, Franklin Delano. Throughout the years, their shared passion for travel took them to locations ranging from the rugged coastlines of Acadia National Park and Ireland’s Giants Causeway to the shores of Lake Michigan and, yearly, back to their beloved South Carolina Low Country, where they were married in 2015 in a private ceremony on Hunting Island.
Whether learning the skills required to excel in a new professional position, teaching herself to play guitar, or fighting for her life, Lisa modeled a commitment to excellence and unflinching grit and determination to succeed in all things. Besides her big and ready laugh, her curiosity for exploration, and the sensitivity she felt deeply but only rarely showed, those who most love Lisa will remember her meticulous attention to her amazing hair, her passionate aversion to June Bugs and popping balloons, her enduring appreciation for all things chocolate, and the fact that no matter the meal or occasion, her “dessert pipe” was always open. Most importantly, Lisa taught us about the capacity to love deeply and to live fully, no matter the circumstances.
She will be missed beyond measure but never forgotten.
Lisa is survived by her adoring wife, Mary K. Risher; her sister, Jane Barlow, Wabash; her brother, David (Beverly) Spangler, The Villages, Fla.; nephew, Kyle (Christy) Barlow; nieces, Krissy Barlow-Solloway, Erica (Tim) Mulrooney, and Michelle (Angel) Torres; several great-nephews; and one great-niece.
Visitation will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on July 2, 2021 at Randall & Roberts Funeral Home at 1685 Westfield Road, Noblesville, with service at 6:30 p.m. A Celebration of Life with family and close friends will follow immediate after at Lisa’s and Mary’s home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to METAvivor at metavivor.org.
Condolences: randallroberts.com