The Wauseon Downtown Association is proud to announce Jim and Dee Spiess as Grand Marshals for the 2021 Christmas Parade.

The couple are retired teachers, calling Wauseon their home for fifty-three years. Corporately, they served 69 years in public school classrooms.

Jim served as the Vocational Agricultural Teacher and at Wauseon High school. His leadership in the community includes 18 years on the Wauseon Tree Commission, Assistant Wauseon High School track coach, Selection committee for the Fulton County Hall of Fame, and Board Member for Open Door. Jim also served as the FFA Advisor at Wauseon High school.

He was honored as he Ohio Vocational Agriculture Teacher of the Year and was elected past President of Ohio Vo Ag Teachers.

Jim is a member of the Fulton County Agricultural Hall of Fame, and he was also a national finalist for National Finalist for both the Vocational Teacher of the Year as and the Soil Conservation Teacher of the Year.

While serving as Wauseon’s FFA Chapter Advisor, the chapter received national recognition for being one of the top ten FFA’s in the United States in the area of community service.

Jim has also received the Wauseon High School Legends of Learning Award.

Dee served the Pike-Delta-York school system as a reading teacher. Highlights of her 31 years of service were the planning of Family Reading Nights and Right To Read Week.

Dee is a Jennings Scholar and she has also received an Education Award from the American Legion.

She and Jim have been married for 56 years. They have three children and four grandchildren. Both are active members of the Wauseon Trinity Lutheran Church and deliver Meals on Wheels locally.

Jim and Dee will lead the Wauseon Christmas on Fulton Street in downtown Wauseon on November 27th at 7:00 pm.

They will ride through the streets of Wauseon in a beautiful horse drawn carriage in the annual lighted parade.

Wauseon is grateful for their years of leadership and community service.