Donald Spencer

Donald Kenneth Spencer, 82, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, passed away on January 28^th, 2023, after a valiant battle with cancer.

Don was born on May 8^th, 1940, to Harold Spencer and Anna Ziefel Spencer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Don graduated from St. Marys High School, West Virginia, in 1958 and went on to study engineering at Marshall University.

Don was a consistent leader in his formative years, evidenced by his selection as president of his high school class and also of the engineering fraternity he was involved with at Marshall. He was an integral member of the St. Marys High School band, playing the trumpet throughout his high school years.

After graduating from Marshall University, Don began his career at Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) Industries, a company he remained with until his retirement thirty-eight years later. Over the course of those three decades, Don worked in several engineering positions as well as a sales manager. He retired from PPG in 2000.

He is preceded in death by Harold and Anna Spencer. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sandra Kah Spencer and his five children: Stephanie Norby (David), Tara Melton (Johnny), Tessa Nordquist (Adam), Scott Spencer (Veronica), and Andrea Bragg (Rusty). He is survived by his twelve grandchildren and one great-grandchild, and also by his brother Robert Spencer (Cheryl) and sister Patricia Marks (Jim).

Don was very invested in all of his grandchildren’s activities and took a deep interest in whatever they were doing. He was a consistent presence at their events, cheering them on. His love for God, family, and others shone through in everything he did.

Don loved to be outside and could often be found working in the yard, golfing, or fishing. In fact, his yard could put many golf courses to shame!  He also spent countless hours standing waist deep in the water at Gulf Shores fishing. He had a sense of adventure and could regularly be found body surfing. He even took up stand-up paddle boarding at the young age of 80. Don lived with great intentionality.

Led by his love for God, he devoted time to building relationships both inside and outside his family across decades. Neighbors knew he was always at-the-ready to help with a project or simply to visit with their children. His fishing buddies looked forward to October when they would gather each year in Gulf Shores, but also kept in touch throughout the year. He remained in contact with people from each place that he resided in over his adult years as well as people he worked with at PPG. He returned to St. Marys for each and every high school reunion, returning as recently as 2018 to reminisce and reconnect with old friends.

A service will be held for Don on February 18^th at Fourth Avenue Church of Christ in Franklin, Tennessee. Visitation will be held from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and a Celebration of Life from 12:00—1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Franktown Open Hearts or Shriners Children’s Hospital.

Don will be deeply missed, but his family grieves not as those who have no hope. We celebrate the life he lived and take comfort in believing we will be reunited with him one day.