- Date Of Birth: February 2, 1925
- Date Of Death: April 28, 2021
- State: Illinois
Donald Roy Spencer, age 96, died peacefully on April 28, 2021, at Belleville Memorial Hospital, Belleville, IL (formerly of Jerseyville, IL). He was born in Carlinville, IL on February 2, 1925, the son of the late Roy Frederick Spencer, Lois Cochran Spencer Bloome, and his stepfather, Henry A. Bloome.
He was the second oldest of four children, all of whom predeceased him: William Spencer, (Norma), Phyllis Spencer Polchow Laudan (Ray), and Prentice Dean Wild (Winifred). He married Helen M Spencer (Hinrichsen) in Norwood Park, Illinois on October 11, 1947. She predeceased him on July 18, 2020. He was also predeceased by his great-granddaughter, Madelynn Klaire Grigsby. Don spent most of his childhood in the Carlinville, IL area. He graduated from Carlinville High School at age 17 and left for college with his friend Paul Travis shortly thereafter. Don attended school at Tri-State College in Angola, IN where he earned a BS in Aeronautical Engineering, graduating in 1944. In 1965, he completed an MBA in Marketing and Management from Michigan State University, Ann Arbor, MI. His professional career was highlighted by fourteen years of employment at Bendix Corporation in Mishawaka, IN, where he was promoted to Chief Project Engineer responsible for TALOS and TYPHON missile program management, and 22 years spent at McDonnell-Douglas Corporation in St. Louis, MO. His career-high point was promotion to F-15 Fighter Aircraft Foreign Military Sales Program Manager, where he traveled extensively to Israel for his work with the Israeli Air Force. Throughout college and his career, Don served on many professional committees and organizations related to the aerospace and defense industry. Don was a sportsman who enjoyed the outdoors when he was camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, and searching for mushrooms. Most of all he was an avid fly fisherman. He loved taking trips West to visit his son Dave where he could fly fish in the mountains. He developed and patented a unique fly fisherman’s tackle box, along with two additional patents related to fly fishing. At the time of his death, he was working on yet another patent developing a knottier. Don and Helen enjoyed many years of time together with their family at their farm in Rosedale. Horseback riding in the hills, mushroom hunting, hayrides, and campfires with grandchildren were highlights of those days together.
He is survived by his children, David Spencer (Becky) of Buffalo, Wyoming, and Nancy Spencer Grigsby (David) of Fairview Heights, IL; his grandchildren, Lauren Spencer, Daniel Spencer, Kelly Grigsby (Jenny), Sarah Emin (Tony), Leeanne Grigsby, Jonathan Grigsby, and Meredith Grigsby; his great-grandchildren, Michael, Taylor, Jillian, and Noah Caraballo; Enzo Emin; Nicholas Grigsby; Melanie, Adam (Michaela) and Zachary Cassulo; and one great-great-granddaughter, Parker Mae Cassulo.
