Monroe “Spike” Dreher, 84, of Richland, died at 2:35 p.m. July 19, 2002, at Alterra Columbia Edgewater.  He was born April 17, 1918, in Blytheville, Arkansas and had lived in the Tri-Cities over 50 years.

Spike received his nickname in his high school and college football years because his head was smaller than his helmet.  Spike played one year, 1939, at the University of Denver and from 1939 – 1941 for Mississippi State University.  One of his favorite proud memories is when he played lineman on the Mississippi State Orange Bowl team in 1941, winning - State 14 to Georgetown 7.  In 1992, he attended a reunion of the remaining team members when MSU played the Orange Bowl again.  The 1941 team was introduced during the half time.

Spike came with Dupont in 1944 to work at Hanford as a process operator and became a senior quality assurance engineer.  He retired from Battelle in 1970 and from WPPSS in 1984.  He was a member of Central United Protestant Church.

He enjoyed photography and camping and loved to fish on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

Spike was preceded in death by his wife, Wilma, in 1985 and by his son, John, in 1998.

He is survived by daughter, Sandy Wierman; grandchildren, Miles F. Wierman, Kimberli R. Dreher and Jeremy E. Dreher; and great grandchildren, Tiana R. Wierman and John P. Dreher.

Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 3, 2002, in Sunset Memorial Gardens.  For those who would like to visit with the family, a get together is planned at 11:00 a.m. Saturday in the TV room at Alterra with refreshments provided.

Much thanks to the staff at Alterra for their loving, tender care of my dad while he maintained residence there.