With a heavy heart, Greene County's Spangle The Clown carries on
Nine months after his significant other and co-star died in a car crash, Spangle The Clown is back to entertaining folks as a clown and Santa Claus impersonator.
But there's one part of his act that Spangle can't bring himself to perform — his magic routine.
"Every magician needs a beautiful assistant, and she was that for me," Spangle said.
Spangle's partner, Gloria Grimsley, performed under the stage name Daisy Mae. Grimsley died in March when her minivan was struck by a semi-trailer on Highway 65 just north of Springfield.
Spangle (yes, that's his legal name) is now suing the semi driver and his employer, Lala Trucking Inc., claiming negligence. The lawsuit, which was transferred to federal court in December, accuses the semi driver of causing the fatal crash by failing to yield the right of way to Grimsley.
In an interview last week from his office full of Christmas memorabilia in Fair Grove, Spangle explained the lawsuit was filed with accountability in mind. He knows no amount of money will bring back the love of his life.
"I don’t know that there’s anything with the trucking company or anything, the money or anything like that, that would change my feelings on anything," Spangle said.
Spangle, whose father died in December, described the last nine months as "empty." He has made a rock garden in Grimsley's memory and dedicated part of his home to photos of Grimsley and a place to display special items like her clown nose. Although they were never technically married, Spangle considered Grimsley his wife, and he misses her dearly.
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Grimsley had the perfect personality for performing as a clown, Spangle said. She was warm, inviting, funny and loving.
"She was literally the sweetest person you ever could meet," Spangle said. "How I ended up with her in my life, I have no clue, because she was just way better than I ever deserved."
Spangle and Grimsley first connected over the internet with her asking him for business cards and tips on making it as a clown. They later connected at a clown convention in 2007 and were basically inseparable after that. It wasn't long before Grimsley moved from Kentucky to Missouri to share a life and career with Spangle.
Grimsley also drove a school bus, and Spangle recalls that she was always being approached and hugged by children who either recognized her as Daisy Mae or their beloved bus driver.
"She was very inviting," Spangle said. "She was so pretty and so gentle with people that even the people who were scared of clowns, they would come to her. She was literally the most beautiful Mrs. Claus you would ever meet."
Spangle — who is still sporting a North-Pole-worthy beard — has been doing his best to stay busy with selling merchandise, making appearances and planning for this year's "Santa School" event, but he acknowledged nothing is quite the same without Mrs. Claus by his side.
"I stay really busy, so I think that helps a lot," Spangle said. "I got a good support team that checks on me all the time. But it's just, 100% a void."
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Spangle The Clown sues trucking company after partner's fatal crash
