John George Spiegelberg, 81, of Laramie passed away on August 1st, 2026 at Ivinson Memorial Hospital. He was joined in his final hours by one of his sons and several of his grandchildren, waiting until the end for granddaughter Emily to arrive to say goodbye.
John was proud to make Laramie and Wyoming his home for the past 81 years. John was born December 16, 1944 to George F. and Helen L. Spiegelberg, joining older sister Martha in the family. He had a very close relationship with both of them until their passing in 1990 and 1992. He attended schools in Laramie and graduated from Laramie High School in 1962. He went on to attend the University of Wyoming, earning a B.S. in Business Management in 1966. During his youth, John learned the carpentry and construction crafts from his father George and other family members of the Spiegelberg Lumber & Building business family. He was always proud of his quality work and craftsmanship and enjoyed reminiscing about the many projects he had worked on around Wyoming.
In October of 1962, John married Judith Ann Zook, and they built a life together for 52 years until her passing in 2013. Together they were the parents of Anthony J. Spiegelberg, born in 1963, and Vaughn A. Spiegelberg born in 1965. After graduating from U.W., John went on to serve as the Building Inspector for the City of Laramie for seven years. Moving on from this position in 1973, John and Judy began their 30+ years of ownership of John’s Building. He was proud of the many homes, remodeling projects, and small commercial building projects he completed in the Laramie area over the years. Like his father, John also passed on his knowledge of the trade to his sons, and in fact a lifelong career for Vaughn. He went on to use his experience to serve Albany County on the Planning & Zoning Board for nearly ten years.
Early on in his life, John developed a life-long passion for the outdoors in Wyoming. He had a strong desire to spend his time beyond business, hunting, fishing, searching for artifacts, and exploring remote areas. Over the years he compiled an outstanding collection of Native American artifacts from the Laramie area and beyond. As a father, he rarely went on these adventures alone, rather choosing to include his family, passing on these same values and experiences to his boys to enjoy for the rest of their lives. He could talk about the past or upcoming hunting seasons with excitement for hours, and was fortunate to harvest many great meals for his family and some beautiful trophy animals. He was especially proud of a successful grizzly bear hunt in Alaska, and two memorable hunting trips to Africa where he harvested several plains game trophies. If you were a friend, or even an acquaintance of John, you probably were invited to a tour of his Trophy Room! In recent years, he was most proud of what turned out to be his final hunt, a beautiful bull buffalo at age 79. That hunt will be with him in eternity. His membership in the Loveland Archaeological Society was also a favorite pastime.
John is preceded in death by his parents George and Helen, his sister Martha and wife Judy. After the passing of Judy in 2013, John was happy to live a second married life with Shirley White Spiegelberg, marrying Shirley in 2014. John always loved the Shirley Basin country, and he enjoyed his time with Shirley living in Rock River for seven years. Upon Shirley’s death in 2021, John returned to his home in Laramie, but was always grateful for his new friends and family in the Rock River area. Their trip to Israel in 2015 was a highlight of their time together.
John is survived by sons Anthony Spiegelberg (Jean) of Sheridan, Wyoming, and Vaughn Spiegelberg (Connie McKellep) of Laramie. He found great pride in his grandchildren Logan Spiegelberg (Shaylee), Brock, Alexis & Ryker; and Taylor Spiegelberg (Macey), and Emily Spiegelberg (Hunter Baum, fiancé) and Austin McKellep (Paige). He was also blessed with three great-grandchildren in Cora, Stetson, and Tate Spiegelberg. His nieces include Beth Romsa and Julie Smith and many extended family members in the Laramie area. Especially in the past five years, his great nephew Quade Romsa and John had a very close relationship.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, August 8from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Montgomery-Stryker Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held for John at 10:00 a.m. on Monday August 10th at Montgomery-Stryker Funeral Home in Laramie, with a brief graveside service to follow at Greenhill Cemetery in Laramie. A celebration of life will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, the family would request contributions in John’s memory to the Eppson Center For Seniors, located at 1560 N. 3rd St in Laramie.