Seth Brandon Spangler

Seth Brandon Spangler, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, died on November 24th, 2022. He was 36 years old.  

Seth was born in Fairfax County, Virginia in 1986, the second child of Beth and Brian Spangler. Originally from Ohio, the Spanglers had moved to Virginia, where Brian was stationed with the
Army, shortly after Seth’s sister Jessica was born in 1985. The Spanglers’ third child, a son named Casey, was tragically stillborn in 1988. The family moved to Tennessee when Seth was four years old. Seth spent most of his life in the Chattanooga area and its northwest Georgia suburbs, with Lookout Mountain as the backdrop to his youth.

By all accounts, Seth was a goofy, big-hearted, mischievous child. He had boundless energy, a penchant for getting into everything, and a disarming grin that got him both into and out of trouble. Seth loved exploring the outdoors on his bike and on foot, had a thirst for adventure, and for better or worse, was nearly impervious to fear. Throughout his life, Seth made friends with all kinds of people: elderly neighbors, kids at school whom he sensed needed love, vagabonds, bus drivers, counselors, local shop owners, and lots of eccentric characters whom other people had written off. 

Although he was never inspired by the traditional structure of school, Seth was deeply curious, passionate, and dedicated when learning about things that interested him. He enjoyed working on cars and boats, had a great appreciation for music and dissecting the meaning of song lyrics, and was a gifted artist. Seth loved to draw and spent much of his adulthood as a tattoo artist. He felt it was a great honor to create a meaningful, one-of-a-kind piece of art that would stay with someone forever.

Perhaps above anything else, Seth loved his children and found great purpose in being a father to Isaac, Mersades, and Casey. His most cherished memories were of them, and he regretted the ways in which he had failed them. 

Seth's life was complicated by the mental illness and addiction that plagued him throughout his life. He spoke about his pain with bravery and honesty and was a zealous advocate for mental health education and support. In recent years, Seth found reading and writing to be great therapeutic outlets. He wrote hundreds of poems processing the scope of trauma, sorrow, and joy that made up his life. He loved Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now, which he called "The Now Book" and shared widely with people he thought would appreciate it. Seth was compassionate, self-reflective, stubborn, exasperating, and courageously vulnerable. 

Seth was preceded in death by his brother Casey, stepfather Rob Sprague, aunt Tina Hickman, and grandfathers Bert Wilson and Charles Spangler. He is survived by his three children, Isaac, Mersades, and Casey; the mother of his children, Lauren Hardiman; his sister Jessica (Michael) McConathy; father Brian (Janet) Spangler; stepbrothers Mack Rogers and Joe Rogers, mother Beth Spangler; grandmothers Joyce Spangler and Jackie Wilson; a niece and two nephews: Alexis, Jayce, and Abel McConathy; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who will miss him dearly.

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