John B Spitzer Sr.

John Brumback Spitzer, a gentleman, scholar and lover of life, passed away peacefully at Hospice of N.W. Ohio, surrounded by family and loved ones, on November 18, 2011. John, born in Toledo on March 6, 1918, was the youngest of Lyman S. Spitzer, Sr. and Blanche Brumback Spitzer’s four children. As the “baby,” John was a little bit spoiled by his large and loving family.

Raised at 448 Woodruff Avenue near Collingwood, where the family home still stands, John had an exciting childhood; there were few dull moments in the Spitzer household. The family traveled extensively and stayed for a year at a time in both France and Italy, where the children would be enrolled in school. At seven, John was placed in a French school with no knowledge of the language. He soon learned to speak French beautifully, a skill he retained the rest of his life. After a year in France, the next two trips abroad were spent in Rome and Florence where John was again placed in local schools. Recently, John recited parts of Dante’s Divine Comedy in Italian and translated it into English for the family! Back at home, he and his brother Lyman, Jr. would try to outdo each other with quotations in classical Greek.

John attended Scott High School, leaving after his junior year to attend Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he graduated with high honors in 1935. John attended Yale, again graduating with honors and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, in1939. After college, he enrolled at Yale Law School and completed his first year before enlisting in the Ohio National Guard and being called up for active duty. Law school would have to wait until the end of the war.

That same year John became engaged to Lucy Jane Ohlinger. They married in 1941 and moved first to Mississippi and then to Ft. Benning, Georgia where John attended Officer Candidate School and became a member of the U.S. Infantry. They lived at the camp for several years and it is where Captain Spitzer and Lucy were blessed with the first of four children, John, Jr.. After a stint helping to train Army paratroopers (which did not appear to do irreparable damage to the war effort), John became part of Army Intelligence at the Pentagon where he reviewed and decoded Japanese shipping messages. Later he decoded messages between the Emperor of Japan and Hitler (or so he said in later years). While in Washington, Major Spitzer and Lucy became the proud parents of their second child, Mary Helen (Molly).

In 1945 John, now a civilian, returned to Yale to complete law school. Upon graduating, again with high honors, John served as clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stanley Reed.

John and Lucy returned to Toledo in 1948 and he became associated with the law firm Marshall Melhorn. He practiced primarily in the corporate department, specializing in antitrust law for various Toledo-based international corporations, retiring as a partner in 1986. He continued practicing law from his office in the Spitzer Building until last year. John was proud to have kept current with all of his continuing legal education requirements for his entire life.

John and Lucy lived in Ottawa Hills and welcomed two more children to the family, Lyman and Lorry. They opened their home to their children’s friends and the Spitzer homestead was always a hotbed of activity. John and Lucy encouraged their children’s curiosity, imagination, intellect, culture, sense of fun and adventure. Even after their youngest child left for college, they continued entertaining the neighborhood children. Just as he was raised, John ensured that the family traveled extensively in Europe and in the U.S.. Ski trips were abundant. A favorite destination for the family was northern Michigan. In the summer they stayed at the Congregational Summer Assembly on Crystal Lake (near Frankfort) and in the winter at the Otsego Club (near Gaylord). Of course, their children’s friends were always in tow and many adventures were had.

After the untimely death of Lucy in 1971, John married Vondah Thornbury. John and his enlarged family settled in Perrysburg. John and Vondah continued in the Spitzer tradition of attending many social and cultural events and traveling. They enjoyed many trips with friends and family and two of their favorite destinations were Mexico and Sanibel Island, Florida. Vondah died in 2001.

John’s greatest love, aside from family, was for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He became a member of the Board of the Toledo Symphony in 1948 and in 2011 celebrated his 64th year as a Trustee. Over the years, he served as President, Vice President, and Secretary and was currently serving as a member of the Endowment Fund Trustees. If the Symphony was performing, John was in attendance. Although his health kept him from attending the Symphony’s recent performance at Carnegie Hall he followed its progress and triumph avidly and could not have been more pleased with the Symphony’s success.

Another mainstay in John’s life was The Spitzer Building. He was President of the Spitzer Building Company and, until just recently, was downtown, slowly but surely, entering the Building every single day with a smile on his face and a friendly hello to everyone he saw. To not have him at the Building has been a real loss. When not up in his office, John was in the Madison Bistro having his daily piece of cake and holding court. His passing is truly the end of an era.

John is survived by his children, John B. Spitzer, Jr. (Crystal Gray), Boulder, CO., Molly Spitzer Frost (Edmund), Washington, D.C., Adelbert Lorenzo III “Lorry” (Diane Young), Boston, MA, daughter-in-law, Patrice Casey Spitzer, Perrysburg, OH, grandchildren, Nicholas Spitzer, Boulder, CO, Christopher Spitzer, Gunnison, CO, Julia Nerbonne (Brian), Minneapolis, MN, Elizabeth Frost (Martha Hotchkiss), Minneapolis, MN, Edmund, Jr., Twin Oaks, VA, Luette Frost (Todd Grayson), Alamosa, CO, Lyman “Casey” Spitzer, Perrysburg, OH, Allison Spitzer, Washington, D.C., Garrett Spitzer, New York City, Carey Spitzer, Boston, MA, Reid Spitzer, Boston, MA, great grandchildren, Lucas Nerbonne, Clara Nerbonne and Finn Grayson, stepchildren, Vondah Thornbury Vanderhorst (Bob Friedman), Barbara Thornbury Stannard, Elizabeth Thornbury and step-grandchildren, Anne Vanderhorst, Richard Gale, Richard Thornbury, Stephen Thornbury and Caroline Thornbury. John is also survived by his much loved nieces and nephews and his special friend Mrs. Marilynn Willey. John was preceded in death by his wives, Lucy Ohlinger Spitzer and Vondah Thornbury Spitzer, his son, Lyman Franklin Spitzer, parents, Lyman S. and Blanche Brumback Spitzer, brother, Lyman Spitzer, Jr., sisters, Lydia Rheinfrank and Luette Close Eaton and stepson, James Thornbury.

The family would like to thank everyone at Kingston of Perrysburg and Heartland of Perrysburg for their thoughtful care and for helping him to continue living his life to the fullest. We would also like to thank the employees of the Spitzer Building and staff of Carranor Hunt and Polo Club for always treating John with dignity and kindness. We thank Danny Smith; we could not have done it without him.

A celebration of John’s remarkable life will be held at The First Congregational Church, Collingwood and Virginia in the Old West End, on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:00 a.m.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers contributions may be made to The Toledo Symphony Orchestra Assoc., Inc., P. O. Box 407, Toledo, Ohio 43697; The First Congregational Church, 2315 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo, Ohio 3620 or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Arrangements by Witzler-Shank Funeral Home, Perrysburg (419-874-3133).