Tom Spiece Obituary, Death – GOOD FRIEND TOM SPIECE will live from 1948 until 2022. In the rural community of Roann, Indiana, his great-grandfather, “Sockey” Spiece, owned and operated a pool hall that also housed gambling operations. Dick, Tom’s father, served as a supply sergeant in World War II under the command of General Patton. He was stationed in Italy, Sicily, and Africa. Following the war, Dick spotted an opportunity and made the most of it. He bought up large quantities of army surplus and then resold them out of the back of a truck, traveling from town to town (also surplus). Leather boots were advertised as being available for 65 cents, gas masks for one dollar, bicycles for five dollars, and even parachutes for twenty-one dollars. In the 1950s, he established the traditional brick-and-mortar store known as Dick’s Trading Post in Wabash, Indiana.
Tom, Dick’s son, spotted an opportunity as the army surplus was running out, and he made the most of it. In 1976, he bought the store and reorganized it so that it sold popular high-demand items such as jeans, boots, and tennis shoes at prices that were two to five dollars lower than those offered by competitors for every name brand. He reached a peak of eight Spiece stores and made millions of dollars while simultaneously starring in his own outrageous and outlandish television commercials.
In Egypt, he had a caravan of sixty camel drivers following behind him as he spoke with a straight face while holding a microphone. He said, “These are Nubian Camel Drivers, some of the shrewdest traders in the world.” It will be interesting to see where they get their tennis shoes, won’t it? Answer? “Ah, Spiece! Spiece!” After that, over fifty TV spots were produced, with filming taking place in Bora Bora, Bangkok, Agra, Dubai, Nairobi, and Istanbul respectively. Brazen, for sure.
Tom was a two-edged sword in many ways. If you were his friend, he would cut you a large slice of Helen Wittey’s “Cheery Cherry Pie,” which he won at a county fair auction after bidding a winning price of $700 for. It had a nice appearance and was flaky. If you were one of his adversaries? We shouldn’t even go there. However, he had tacked up on the wall of his office, which was covered in memorabilia, a letter of gratitude written by a 4-H Purple Ribbon Winner. The letter began, “Dear Mr. Spiece. I am grateful that you purchased my hog.