David Earl Spencer

David was born on June 20, 1930 to the late Leo Spencer and Mary Agnes Hubbuch. He attended St Meinrad and graduated from Cannelton High School in 1948. He was enrolled at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology before serving in the US Army during the Korean War. He achieved the rank of Master Sergeant before being honorably discharged. He met Kinko Takemura while a civilian contractor in Japan who became his wife of 69 years. When returning to the States, he joined a small computer company called IBM where he became a Field Engineer as a mainframe, printer, and storage specialist. He had many roles in his career that also included Service Planning, Education, and Network Hardware. He was the first IBM FE/CE to receive a US patent, and received a second patent related to his work with the fiber optic ESCON channel and SCAM tool before retiring after 35 years of service. He is survived by his beloved wife, and children Gregory, Mark and Barbara, Matt and Julie, and Peggy (Walt Kline deceased); his grandchildren Hannah (Andrew Conti), Amanda (Tom Ziegelbauer), and Emilyanne; great grandchildren Benjamin, Stella, Cora, and Julian; granddogs Andy, Annie, and Yogi; as well as living siblings and their families of Jack (Arletta), Elaine (Paul Seibert), Annette (Bill LeMaire), and Kent; deceased siblings Mary Frances (George Jarboe and Louis Montgomery), Lucille (Jim Williams), and Nancy; and extended family of Dick and Barbara Friend.

The Spencer family wish to extend their deepest thanks with gratitude to all his guardian angels and caregivers. This includes the staff, doctors, nurses, paramedics, and volunteers of the Wake County Emergency Medical Services, WakeMed Cary Hospital, and UNC REX Hospital. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can graciously be made to the Western Wake Crisis Ministry (https://wwcm.org/).

David would never purchase a new mechanical or electronic device without first trying to repair it – a curse inherited and carried on by his children from his military and IBM service. He was a Ford man in learning to drive a Fordson tractor as a farm boy, and a Model T as his first vehicle. He became a teenage dirt track racer in Southern Indiana with a 1938 Oldsmobile Straight 8 until having an accident, and owned other interesting vehicles such as a Cord Phaeton, and a Steadybreaker President that continuously bent suspension parts and kept Japanese tire companies in business while traveling the backroads around Kamakura, Japan. After joining IBM, he would name Ford Country Squires purchased every 4 years with 390 cu in V8s after products that he repaired. He later switched to sedans starting with a 1972 Ford LTD Brougham before profanely cursing his choice of buying a 1976 Oldsmobile 98 Regency with an anemic 190 horsepower 455 Rocket. He could never be convinced to enhance horsepower with new heads, headers, and a Quadrajet carburetor since the vehicle ate Turbo Hydramatic 400 transmissions like they were going out of style. He would rebuild VW Bugs, Germany Mercury Capris, and a Country Squire for his older children. He gave Matt a choice of an Escort, Horizon, or Chevette as his first used car. In finding a 1979 Horizon TC3 with over 100K miles bought for $800, they had a slick 70 horsepower hatchback after countless hours of engine and body work. Before the first test drive to reach 55 mph downhill, he put his arm around his youngest son and said “it’s still a Horizon with a VW engine and transmission.” A counterpoint was quickly made “but with Porsche valves and valve stems.”

He was a simple complex man especially as he aged. One of his most prized possessions was a tin cup given to him by his Grandmother Mitchell. There was a large age gap between his siblings. He would take Annette to a movie where they would return before the others, and be amazed how she knew what happened at the movie. In challenging Jack and his Buick to an endurance race home, Dad saw distant bouncing headlights gaining on them in the rear-view mirror. After making a high speed 90-degree turn, Dad thought he was mistaken where the lights were no longer following them. David and Kinko reached home before Jack as he was delayed by inventing the Buick corn harvester in not making that turn. Once Dad had a thought or idea on his mind, he would have intense focus – the scientific name is called “choo choo brain.” This trait has been passed on from one generation to the next … whether we like it or not. He broke Japanese tradition by teaching Sagami how to run around and be loud while playing inside a home. Before Michael Jordan became famous for his tongue wagging while driving the lane, there was the David Earl Spencer tongue sticking out while working on a problem. When Christmas was being celebrated, he would decorate the tree and put together a kitchen set with Kinko the day before Christmas. When driving in the winter, the heat would be on high the entire trip where his children weren’t sure if they should wear long or short sleeve shirts. In the summer, the air conditioner would be on high and in recirculation mode where the children shivered under a blanket. Summer vacations often involved staying at Nana/Nanna’s house in Cannelton where the boys camped indoors with their sleeping bags. They tended to suffer from insomnia caused by the St Michael’s clock bells ringing on the quarter hour all day and night long. To enhance sleeping conditions, the old house lacked air conditioning where “katydidits” played their serenade all night long, and the wonderful aroma of sulfur from the paper mill added to the ambiance. The Spencer family always attended church on Sunday. Staycations while living in Columbus often involved car rides and games of tether ball, jarts, or badminton. Bob Evans or Perkins were popular breakfast destinations after church while they lived in Cincinnati.

David’s most cherished treasure was helping his wife Kinko and his family. He loved Kinko’s cooking that included sukiyaki, sashimi, homemade bread, rainbow trout, salmon, char, king crab, vegetable dishes, rib roast at Christmas, and pies – especially mincemeat, strawberry, and blackberry. After moving to Raleigh and in retirement, David and Kinko were fond of raking leaves several times a day in a never-ending battle. Neighbors would often say that they had a beautiful house, but then ask if they ever raked the leaves. He enjoyed taking daily walks while holding Kinko’s hand with several neighborhood dogs following them. When a neighbor’s Plott Hound mix almost caught a duck in the community pond, an irate resident complained that their dog was causing havoc. David kindly replied, “we don’t own a dog.” David often displayed his culinary skills in making homemade ice cream for July 4th celebrations. His dessert specialties included tiramisu and crème brulee. When listening to music, someone would ask if he liked the Classical genre. Dad would respond that he liked Baroque and opera. Some of his favorite composers were Antonio Vivaldi, JSBach, and Frideric Handel. Some of his favorite pieces were the Four Seasons, concertos, La Traviata, and La boheme. He was an avid reader of history, the Smithsonian Magazine, and Scientific America. David liked to have good conversations, or some might say debates while others say arguments. Besides mechanical talents, he enjoyed wood and metal working, Pong, billiards, Solitaire, Bridge, Hearts, Centipede, Frogger, NY Times or Eugene Maleska crossword puzzles, Scrabble, Jumble, Boggle, Suduko, and puttering in the garage or basement. He also enjoyed playing games on his PC, and designing quilt patterns for Kinko. Our beloved father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend will be missed.

A Visitation will be on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 10:00am located at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church in Apex, NC. The Funeral Mass will begin at 11am. An inurnment will take place in the columbarium following services.

The family ask for guest to join them for a luncheon following the Inurnment that will take place in the Parish Hall of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church.

Services will be live streamed via https://www.youtube.com/live/jbM_IACB0IY