Spangler Mortuary

And someday it could be run by a generation of Spanglers who have traveled the world, succeeded in show business and survived the Iraq War. Starr, Nick, Jake and Joya Spangler aren't typical siblings. Starr, 22, is a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader who won a million dollars in "The Amazing Race" TV show last year. Her partner in that race was her brother Nick, 23, who currently plays a lead role in the world's longest-running musical, "The Fantasticks." Jake, 29, is on his way to a job at the Pentagon after serving as an Army captain in Iraq. And Joya, 18, is a promising actress who has been accepted into five of the East Coast's top acting schools. Their father, Jim Spangler, says all of his kids have expressed an interest in running the mortuary business, which has been in the family -- with its prominent Spanish-style building at 799 Castro Street since 1934. Starr has already decided that New York isn't for her, Jim said, and may be returning soon. Jim is a quiet and modest funeral director who dresses every day in a suit and tie. He said neither he nor his wife Caroline ever showed a propensity for the military, let alone acting. While it's not quite show business, over the years the Spangler family was often in the spotlight in Mountain View. Jim's grandfather, Marty Sr., served long terms on the Mountain View City Council in the 1940s and '50s and on the county Board of Supervisors in the 1960s. Jim's father, Marty Jr., served on the Mountain View-Los Altos High School and El Camino Hospital district boards. Jim has been president of the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. From show business to funeral business It was December of last year when season 13 of "The Amazing Race" ended in a victory for Nick and Starr Spangler. Before it was over the two had traveled 30,000 miles in 23 countries and won several challenges, including painting a rickshaw faster than other contestants in New Delhi and eating a dish of sheep's backside in Kazakhstan. At one point the two wore camouflage clothing, telling the show's host that it was in honor of their...

He was 78 years old.Johnson was born on September 26, 1940 in Perry, Iowa, to Dorothy and Harding Johnson. He had three siblings, Richard Johnson, Robert Johnson, and Jeraldine Yunker. He graduated from the University of Washington and the University of Minnesota, from which he received his PhD in psychology in 1972. In 2018, Minnesota honored him as an Alumni of Notable Achievement.Johnson began his career as a professor of psychiatry. He held positions at the University of Utah College of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. While in Virginia, Johnson became one of the founding partners of PsychSystems. He was the first person to develop and market online computerized psychological testing.In 1983 Johnson left academia and moved to Palo Alto with his wife Kathy to start Human Edge Software. At Human Edge, Johnson authored Mind Prober, which became the top selling educational software of 1985.Dr. Johnson published How to Buy Almost Any Drug Legally Without a Prescription with Avon Books in 1990. It became a best-seller and is credited by many as starting the movement of buying prescription drugs in other countries as a way to reduce medical costs.From 1992 until 2001, Johnson served as CEO of Connected Brands, which became one of Northern California’s largest and most successful business-to-business advertising agencies, working with clients such as Apple, IBM, and Symantec.In 2002, Dr. Johnson and his wife Kathy co-founded Home Care Assistance (HCA) to provide in-home care for seniors. HCA eventually grew to more than 100 offices worldwide and became a leading provider of senior services in America.Johnson is survived by his wife Kathy, his five children, Jennifer Muskat, James Johnson II, Ann Johnson, Alexander Simon Johnson, and Liz Johnson; his five grandchildren, Amanda Muskat, Ally Muskat, James Muskat, James Johnson III, and Matilda Brucher; and his brother Richard.Services will be held at Spangler Mortuary on Friday, December 28th at noon. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to HeartFi...