Burial Date
Obituaries » WILLIAM R. SPEAR
SPEAR, WILLIAM R., 83, of Northfield, died September 29 at Central Vermont Medical Center. He was born in Montpelier on June 15, 1930, the son of Charles and Mary (Kingston) Spear. He graduated from Northfield High School in 1948. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1956 and a master’s in teaching in 1966, both from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester. In 1969 he earned a master’s in education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and in 1982, a master’s in teaching from Norwich University in Northfield. He taught Latin, French and English at Island Pond School, Waitsfield High School and Rutland High School, until his retirement in the mid-1990s. He continued to substitute teach at Northfield schools and taught English to foreign students at Saint Michael’s College. He started playing the organ at 14 years old at St. John The Evangelist Church in Northfield. He played regularly at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and traveled with the Norwich University Chorus to Ireland, England and Germany. He often played for his fraternal groups, Mayo Nursing Home, reunions and more than 50 years of Northfield High School graduations. This past week, he played at the Woodridge Nursing Home in Berlin, where he had recently been residing. He was a member of St. John The Evangelist Church, Knights of Columbus, Northfield Senior Center, the Grange, Northfield Rotary and Northfield Historical Society, and was a frequent volunteer at the Red Mitten in Northfield. He enjoyed woodworking, drawing, reading and crossword puzzles. Survivors include a sister, Elizabeth “Betty” Laughlin, of Northfield, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his siblings Charles M. Spear, Margaret Hebert, Mildred Nelson and Madeline Spear.
