Charlotte Spencer

Charlotte was a multi-generation Atlantan. She grew up across from the main entrance to the zoo at Grant Park. In that same house she lived with her mother and grandparents who owned the local grocery store.

Charlotte attended nursing school at Georgia Baptist Hospital where she earned her degree as an RN. Her thirty-two year career as a nurse was in psychiatric nursing at many of Atlanta’s fine psychiatric hospitals including Emory Main Campus on Clifton Road. Her final and favorite assignment in nursing was at Ralpha. Ralpha was a private Christian rehabilitation facility inside of Atlanta’s former West Paces Ferry hospital prior to it closing its doors.

Charlotte’s Christian faith in God was strong. She was a dedicated member of the United Methodist Church. She belonged to a few Methodist Women’s groups over the years called “circles” attending many bible studies. Her favorite was the Disciple Class which has 5 parts (each part is months long to complete typically) and when she completed them she enjoyed them so much she repeated them all over again in order. She also loved to play scrabble and read. Her favorite books were mystery novels.

In the summer of 1963 she married a man from Calhoun Georgia named Houston Parks Spencer Jr. Charlotte was told by multiple doctors over the years that she could not have children. In December of 1972 she gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Michele, at Emory Main Campus, during her employment there. Later in life, Charlotte was blessed with three amazing grandchildren, two girls and one boy.

Charlotte was born at St Joseph’s Hospital, at its original location in downtown Atlanta, and died at its current location called Emory St Joseph’s Hospital in Sandy Springs on Monday January 31, 2022.

Charlotte is survived by her daughter, Michele Rutherford; her grandchildren, Shelby, Lacey and Austin; her son in love, Marc Rutherford; her brother and sister in laws, Ace and Jeanette Brown, Lyman and Lucia Spencer; her nieces, Shari Spencer (Fernando Ovalle), Stephanie Hill (Vince), JoAnne Maguire (Sam), Summer Pharr (Kelly) and Autumn Brown; and her great nieces and nephews Davis, Holden and Anna Katherine Pharr, Reita Maguire and Kristina Hill.