James Douglas “Jim” Spitler departed this life on February 24, 2026. He was born May 28, 1930, in Dallas to the union of Marion and Willie (Billie) Spitler and siblings, brother’s Sterling, Bucky, Marion, and sister, Billie Francis Burton-Anger and brother-in-law, Kent Anger. Jim married Betty Jo White of Alpine on February 18, 1961, in Dallas, a marriage which lasted 21 years. During their marriage, they raised two children, a son of Betty, Bradley Brahm, and their beautiful daughter, Amy Driscoll.

Jim’s career extended over 47 years, during which time he was the Assistant Administrator of Brewster County Memorial Hospital in Alpine, following which he spent the last 27 years at the University of Texas Medical

Branch at Galveston, Texas (UTMB). While at UTMB, he served as cofounder of the University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences at the Medical Branch, the first such school in the UT System. Later, he moved into the position of Associate Dean of the school. The school was more recently renamed The University of Texas Medical Branch School of Health Professions at Galveston, where over 10,000 graduate-level students have graduated. While actively engaged in his academic positions at UMTB. Jim pursued and obtained a Ph.D. degree in Academic Administration. Upon his retirement from UTMB, he branched out from Texas and built a retirement home/vacation home in Pueblo West, CO, which he shared with Dr. David Cordova, Professor Emeritus at UTMB. At that time, he and Dr. Cordova began extensive national and world travel, which included all fifty states, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Spain, England, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt.

At Jim’s request, there will be no memorial services to acknowledge his passing. He will be cremated and his ashes given to his beloved daughter, Amy M. Driscoll, and his life companion, Dr. David Cordova.