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ST. GEORGE — Family members on Tuesday were remembering an Air Force major killed in an Osprey crash off of southwestern Japan.
The crash on Nov. 29 killed eight crew members, including 36-year-old Maj. Eric V. Spendlove of St. George, a residency-trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at the Kadena Air Base in Japan.
Spendlove was an "amazing" husband and father who worked hard to be where he was, according to his family.
"His wife, his kids were his world," sister Monica Murset told KSL-TV.
Spendlove left behind his wife, Chelsea, and four children — 13-year-old Ara, 6-year-old Abigail, 4-year-old Adaline and 1-year-old Aerik.
Murset said other family was with Spendlove's widow and children offering whatever support they could.
"My sister-in-law, as you can imagine, is just barely hanging on," Murset said.
Brother-in-law Tyler Murset said Spendlove has always been a "man of adventure."
"When he decided to go into the special forces in the Air Force as a doctor — a flight surgeon — we were worried," the brother-in-law said.
Monica Murset said the Air Force was a way for Spendlove to make his dreams more feasible by helping with medical school expenses. Nobody could have predicted the crash that cut his life short.
"He went out doing what he loved," Tyler Murset said.
We just want him to be remembered as a hard worker, a man of his family, a man of faith and a man of his community.
–Tyler Murset
The Mursets said the plan is to eventually bring Spendlove's wife and children back to St. George. Family members set up an online fundraiser* to help with funeral, burial and relocation expenses.
"We just want him to be remembered as a hard worker, a man of his family, a man of faith and a man of his community," Tyler Murset said. "This is going to have a ripple effect for many, many years."
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
