Robert Stewart Spencer died on Sunday, June 16, 2013. Born in Canton, Ohio, on March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) in 1927. He is survived by his wife, Janet Spencer and five children (Kathy Knoch Brown, Robert Stewart Spencer II, Paula Kirby, John Spencer, and Barbara Singer Cheng). It is fitting that he passed on Father's Day with all of his children at his side at Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky, Ohio. He is also survived by thirteen grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. Robert was a recent resident of Lakeside, Ohio. He also lived part time in North Ft. Myers, Florida. His family and business, Spencorp Industries, were grown from Alliance, Ohio. He married Janet Jones June, 12, 1948 and they had just celebrated their 65 wedding anniversary.
Robert was well known for his lifetime passion for boating. In 1999, Robert was awarded Life Membership from the United States Power Squadrons® Sail and Power Boating having earned 25 Merit Marks for meritous service given unstintingly and unselfishly in the interest of our organization presented by the governing board. He was a teacher of basic boating, the seminal training course for Power Squadron, for more than twenty years. He was an activist for safe boating on U.S. Waterways for most of his life. He was the commodore of the Gravel Bar Yacht Club in 1972 and an active member of the Put in Bay Yacht club where he inducted his son, John Spencer, as commodore in 2008. He was also a charter member of the Crews Nest Private Boating Club which was established on South Bass Island in 1970. Robert and his wife Janet (with many friends and family), have explored every Great Lake in the U.S. with the exception of Lake Superior and boated the Intercoastal waterway from Lakeside, Ohio, through the Erie Barge Canal, down the Atlantic, and across Florida to the Gulf of Mexico six times. They first explored parts of the Inter Coastal Waterway in the late fifties with fellow boating friends from Alliance, Ohio. In 1977, one of their boating trips between Ohio to Florida was written up in a series of Lakeland Boating Magazine articles journaling every day life living on a boat with a family. Their youngest child had just turned eight years old.
Robert was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church with active participation in Christ United Methodist Church in Alliance Ohio, Lakeside Methodist Church (Ohio), and Grace Methodist Church in Cape Coral, Florida. He was an active member of community belonging to many clubs and organizations including the Lions Club in both Alliance, Ohio and Peninsula Lions in Lakeside-Marblehead. He was an U.S. Army veteran in World War II stationed in Paris, France, drafted immediately after graduation from Alliance High School, January 1945. In the military he completed Motorpool and Military Police training (COB 383 MP BN). After an honorable discharge on January 3, 1947, he attended Kent State University.
He began his career at a young age working at his father's Penzoil Station Service Station, the first in Alliance, Ohio. He was the owner and operator of Steel Trucks. He was also involved in Toastmasters early in his career. He became a salesman at Armor Abrasive Materials. Later he sold for Penetone Industrial Chemical Corporation and was promoted to the Midwest Sales Manager. He then started his own industrial chemical company, Spencorp Industries, now led by his son Robert Spencer III.
Calling hours will be held at Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home, 75 S. Union Ave., Alliance, Ohio between 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, June 19 with a burial on Thursday at 11:00 AM graveside at Fairmount Memorial Park, 4199 South Union Avenue in Alliance, Ohio. A celebration service of Robert's life will be held at Lakeside Methodist Church, Lakeside, Marblehead on Sunday at 2:00 PM. Donations to Lakeside Methodist Church (450 Central Avenue, Lakeside, Ohio 43440 or lakesideohumc.com), Stein Hospice (1200 Sycamore Line, Sandusky, Ohio 44870 or [email protected]), or the United States Power Squadron (www.usps.org).
Arrangements are by Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home, 75 S. Union Ave., Alliance, OH 44601.
Robert was well known for his lifetime passion for boating. In 1999, Robert was awarded Life Membership from the United States Power Squadrons® Sail and Power Boating having earned 25 Merit Marks for meritous service given unstintingly and unselfishly in the interest of our organization presented by the governing board. He was a teacher of basic boating, the seminal training course for Power Squadron, for more than twenty years. He was an activist for safe boating on U.S. Waterways for most of his life. He was the commodore of the Gravel Bar Yacht Club in 1972 and an active member of the Put in Bay Yacht club where he inducted his son, John Spencer, as commodore in 2008. He was also a charter member of the Crews Nest Private Boating Club which was established on South Bass Island in 1970. Robert and his wife Janet (with many friends and family), have explored every Great Lake in the U.S. with the exception of Lake Superior and boated the Intercoastal waterway from Lakeside, Ohio, through the Erie Barge Canal, down the Atlantic, and across Florida to the Gulf of Mexico six times. They first explored parts of the Inter Coastal Waterway in the late fifties with fellow boating friends from Alliance, Ohio. In 1977, one of their boating trips between Ohio to Florida was written up in a series of Lakeland Boating Magazine articles journaling every day life living on a boat with a family. Their youngest child had just turned eight years old.
Robert was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church with active participation in Christ United Methodist Church in Alliance Ohio, Lakeside Methodist Church (Ohio), and Grace Methodist Church in Cape Coral, Florida. He was an active member of community belonging to many clubs and organizations including the Lions Club in both Alliance, Ohio and Peninsula Lions in Lakeside-Marblehead. He was an U.S. Army veteran in World War II stationed in Paris, France, drafted immediately after graduation from Alliance High School, January 1945. In the military he completed Motorpool and Military Police training (COB 383 MP BN). After an honorable discharge on January 3, 1947, he attended Kent State University.
He began his career at a young age working at his father's Penzoil Station Service Station, the first in Alliance, Ohio. He was the owner and operator of Steel Trucks. He was also involved in Toastmasters early in his career. He became a salesman at Armor Abrasive Materials. Later he sold for Penetone Industrial Chemical Corporation and was promoted to the Midwest Sales Manager. He then started his own industrial chemical company, Spencorp Industries, now led by his son Robert Spencer III.
Calling hours will be held at Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home, 75 S. Union Ave., Alliance, Ohio between 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, June 19 with a burial on Thursday at 11:00 AM graveside at Fairmount Memorial Park, 4199 South Union Avenue in Alliance, Ohio. A celebration service of Robert's life will be held at Lakeside Methodist Church, Lakeside, Marblehead on Sunday at 2:00 PM. Donations to Lakeside Methodist Church (450 Central Avenue, Lakeside, Ohio 43440 or lakesideohumc.com), Stein Hospice (1200 Sycamore Line, Sandusky, Ohio 44870 or [email protected]), or the United States Power Squadron (www.usps.org).
Arrangements are by Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home, 75 S. Union Ave., Alliance, OH 44601.
Guestbook
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors