Carl Spurlock, the son of Maj. Christopher "Chris" Marlowe Spurlock, Sr. and Armenta Sibley, was born on 27 May 1950 in Birmingham, Jefferson Co., AL.

A member of the Class of 1969, S.R. Butler High School in Huntsville, he later attended Florence State University and the University of Southern California, obtaining a Master's Degree in Film/Motion Picture Production.

Carl was also a Medical Corpsman (1968 – 1970) for the U.S. Marines, deploying with his unit to Vietnam. In reference to that time period, the following appeared on his online Guestbook:

"Carl was great man with a great heart. I am so saddened to hear this. I also considered him a great friend and a great Marine.

I remember Carl and I were walking through the lobby in Huntsville Hospital one time many years ago, and a man sitting in the lobby started yelling, 'Doc, Doc...!!!'

Carl and I walked over to the man, and he grabbed Carl's arm and asked, 'Is your last name Spurlock?' 'Yes,' said Carl in that deep, resonant voice.

The man got tears in his eyes and said, 'I knew it was you. I knew I'd remember your face. When I got shot in Vietnam, I knew I was dying. But, the 'Doc'...' - Marine speak for Medic- '...was taking care of me and saved my life. So, when they threw me on the helicopter to take me to medevac, I grabbed your uniform, read your name "Spurlock," and said that I was going to remember that name for the rest of my life, and thank 'Doc,' if I ever see him again. And, here you are Doc. Thanks for saving my life.'

The guy was bawling now. So was Carl. So was I.

Carl was a lot of special things, but his big heart is what I will miss the most... Rest In Peace, My Friend.

Rob, aka 'Skipper'

– ROB GLASIER"

On 16 April 1974, Carl married fellow thespian Sharon "Sherri" Anne Hodges, daughter of Lt. Col. James Randolph Hodges and Eliza Ann Aldridge, in Huntsville, Madison Co., AL. Together they had a son, Sean Cody Spurlock. They later divorced.

On 5 June 2000, Carl married Gretchen Grace Sobelton in Bay Co., FL.

Although a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG); the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (AFTRA); Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honor Society; and the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Carl was perhaps best known for his on-air time with WYUR-TV—later, WAFF-TV 48—where his television career began in 1975 as News Reporter and Anchor, and with WAAY-TV-31 (e.g. Promotions, "Dialing for Dollars," Santa, "Magazine") which he joined in March 1977.

"I worked with Carl for many years. The thing with Carl was he was never not on stage. During breaks while filming he was always doing Jack Nicholson, James Mason or any of a number of characters he could imitate. Carl was a multi-talented individual who could always break me up..." – JERRY SCHRIMSHER

That being said, Carl's TV work in no way surpassed his years trodding the boards in community, school, and regional/repertory theatre. He also worked in Electronic Media for the Intergraph Corporation for thirteen years (1986 – 1999).

One of Carl's earliest dramatic achievements took place in 1972 at college, when he understudied visiting star Van Johnson, who appeared in Florence State University's (FSU) "There's a Girl in My Soup." He would also appear in Summer Stock with Gale Storm and Jack Kelly. Among Carl's many, many theater endeavors can be counted:

• "Beggar on Horseback"; FSU University Players (1970) — "Neil McRae"

• "Barefoot in the Park"; Zodiac Players (1971) — "Paul Bratter"

• "Affairs of State"; FSU Summer Theatre (1973) — "Phillip Russell"

(in which he appeared with his future wife, who played his wife...)

• "The Lion in Winter"; FSU (1974) — "King Henry II"

• "Hello, Dolly!"; Huntsville Community Chorus Association (HCCA; 1977) — Assistant Director

• "Kiss, Me Kate"; HCCA (1978) — "Fred/Petruchio"

• "Good Evening"; Twickenham Repertory Company (TRC; 1980) — Multiple Characters

• "Light Up the Sky"' Huntsville Little Theatre (HLT; 1981) — Director

• "Play It Again, Sam"; University Playhouse (UP) — "Humphrey Bogart"

• "South Pacific"; HCCA (1982) — Director

• "Rain"; HLT (1984) — "Rev. Alfred Davidson"

• "Grease"; TRC (1985) — "Teen Angel"

• "Little Shop of Horrors"; HLT (1988) — Director

• "James and the Giant Peach"; Fantasy Playhouse (2004) — "Captain"

• "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"; Theatre Huntsville (TH; 2009) — "Chief Bromden"

• "Almost, Maine"; TH (2010) — "Chad"

Film roles included:

• "Kent State"; (NBC; 1980) — "Harlan"

• "What Waits Below"; (1984) — Uncredited

• "Rebel Love"; (1985) — "Yankee Sergeant"

• "The Verne Miller Story"; (1987) — "Judge"

• "Hell and Mr. Fudge"; (2012) — "Robert McCann"

"Over the past 38 years or so I had the pleasure of knowing and playing with Carl Spurlock. From beach trips to acting on the stage, he could keep you laughing. I remember dinners when Dennis Brown, Carl and I would practice 'spit takes' with cheap wine in the back yard..." – FREDERICK GEORGE SAYERS

Over the decades, Carl continued following, polishing, and sharing his craft, adding film, video, television, repertory theatre, community theatre, and radio production/direction to his litany of performances.

Among his more prestigious accomplishments are his extensive body of work as narrator and voiceover artist, and a multiplicity of awards for his work in creating commercials. Carl's vocation eventually gave rise to ITTO ("Is This Thing On?"), his own company, geared towards providing voiceover and narration for commercial, government, corporations, and the entertainment industry.

Carl passed away on 15 June 2014 at his home in Huntsville. His life was celebrated that Friday in a memorial that included thoughts and (often humorous) memories by his long-time friends Fred Sayers and Homer Hickam.

"I dedicated my third Josh Thurlow novel – 'The Far Reaches' – to Carl Spurlock who also graciously allowed me to use his name for an eccentric character who had two wives and lived in a treehouse on a tropical island. I figured it was something he could have handled." – HOMER HICKAM

Finishing up the service with a touching eulogy, his beloved son Sean commented, "He had it where it counts..."

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Carlton Lowe "Carl" Spurlock, 64, passed away at his home on Sunday.

A theatre graduate of the University of North Alabama and a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Carl worked professionally as an actor, a director and a narrator.

As a young man, he served his country as a medical corpsman in the United States Marine Corps, deploying with his unit to Vietnam.

Carl will be remembered in the Theatre Huntsville community, having acted in and directed countless shows over a 30-year career.

Chief among his avocations were a love of family, theatre & film, travel, scuba diving, and archaeology. He especially loved sharing his passions and teachings as a father, not only to his son, but to the many, many young people who had the privilege to know him.

Carl is survived by a son, Sean Cody Spurlock (Holli) of Birmingham, a brother Christopher Spurlock, Jr. (Gayle) of North Carolina, and a sister Rebecca Spurlock-Nonweiler (Mark Nonweiler), of Wisconsin, nephews Michael Spurlock and Daniel Nonweiler, a niece, Katherine Nonweiler, a son in every regard but name, Brock Eson, and cousins Donald and Loretta Baker and their family.

Carl was preceded in death by his beloved parents, Maj. Christopher Marlowe Spurlock, Sr. and Armenta Sibley Spurlock. Their steadfast love, honor and integrity were his examples.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to The Wounded Warrior Project.

Note: Several of Carl's ancestors are on Find-a-Grave with incomplete info. Most generations are not linked; I've requested corrections and links for about three generations up on each side. If that happens, it will provide a wealth of info to those researching the family.