COLUMBUS
Justin Michael Spoon, of Columbus, Indiana, died from rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of pediatric cancer, after more than two years of undergoing grueling treatment. Justin was 24 at the time of his death. His friends and family will best remember him as a fiercely faithful Christ follower who approached his chosen pursuits with excellence and kindness.
Born on January 28, 1999 to Joel and Robyn Spoon in Columbus, Indiana. Justin graduated from Columbus North High School in 2017 where he enjoyed the opportunity to flex his creativity and drive for excellence through a range of involvements, including: cross country, musical theater, and academics. Throughout high school, Justin spent time developing his faith through involvement at The Ridge, serving in a range of ministries, with a heavy focus on children’s ministry and worship ministry. He also brought his passion for loving people and his deep faith to the mission fields of The Dominican Republic, Haiti and Costa Rica during this time.
After graduation, he chose to attend Asbury University, a small Christian school, with a goal of spending his college years growing in his faith. His years at Asbury were a particularly joyful time. He was able to challenge himself on the cross country team, setting records and achieving national recognition as a runner, ultimately becoming one of the most decorated runners in school history. He became a spiritual leader on campus, serving his fellow floor mates and ultimately his campus as a coordinator of spiritual growth. Known affectionately as “Spoon” to those around him, he formed meaningful friendships across campus. In the spring of 2021, he graduated to a standing ovation of his peers, in the midst of both COVID and an intense treatment protocol for his cancer. His value of hard work has never been more evident. His plan was to pursue a PhD in School Psychology with a goal of serving and supporting those on the autism spectrum, a passion he developed working at Reach High Therapy and then Imprint Pediatric Therapy during his college summers.
While his treatments for cancer were pervasive, and required him to spend over 250 nights in the hospital, he worked hard to continue to maintain a life of meaning. So, in the spring of 2021, he earned the position of Assistant Distance Coach for Columbus East High School, and relished in the honor of influencing and supporting the runners in his stead. In addition, he was warmly welcomed back to work as a small-group teacher at Imprint Pediatric Therapy in Columbus, where he demonstrated love and patience for the kids and staff around him. In his personal time, he exercised his passion for shared story-telling both in-person and virtually with friends through role-playing games. And after 18 months of grueling treatment, he began running again as many as eight miles per day before his relapse in the summer of 2022. He selflessly and courageously engaged in cancer research by donating tissue samples and by willingly enrolling in ground-breaking drug trials, in which one doctor remarked, “I wonder if the people in this room realize that he is ‘walking on the moon’ right now”? Throughout his treatment, he baffled the many medical teams and professionals with a consistently calm and gracious demeanor, as well as a drive to continue to live a life of meaning until his very last day.
Justin is survived by his parents Joel and Robyn Spoon, forever remembered by his siblings Katie Spoon and Ryan Spoon, and loved by grandparents Mike Spoon (Rosa), Linda Meggenhoffen, Doug Osborne (Debbie) and his Grammy (Deborah Osborne).
In the final weeks of Justin’s life, he kindly requested that in lieu of flowers, he would appreciate contributions be made to either Spoon’s Arc for Rhabdomyosarcoma Research or to the Spoon’s Fiercely Faithful Fund at Asbury University.
A memorial service celebrating Justin’s life will be held on May 20th at 1:00 pm at The Ridge, 2800 Bonnell Road, Columbus, Indiana 47203. The family will be hosting an Open House at The Ridge beginning at 11:00 am until the time of the service to gather and remember Justin’s life.
