Hi Ann. You probably don't remember me but I used to drop by your house in Tucson to walk with you to Fickett Jr. High all those years back.I lived on 31st Street not too far away from you then. At Palo Verde High I was on the afternoon shift so I lost contact with you and then we moved away.  I suppose God made me look you up online and I found your marriage announcement which led me to here. I wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss albeit a few years back now. I can only imagine the sorrow you experienced.  I hope you are finding peace and consolation with the passing of time. Again I am so sorry for your loss.
Dianne [ Pierce] Karis

Mark knew my mother from Norton AFB, Mark was a C141 pilot, he was so nice to us.
Mark helped me get my Ham Radio license..

I had not heard from him on Facebook and this evening I discovered he passed, sorry doesn’t even cut it, but I am so very sorry.

Tom cook
KG5AJP@gmail.com

Hi Ann - just wanted you to know I’ve been thinking of you and Mark.  One year at WPAFB, we went to a LANTIRN unveiling on the F-15 at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis.  To save costs and allow more people to attend this special event, Mark organized a caravan of mini-vans for the USAF team.  I was in Mark’s car, and he handed me the walkie-talkie to communicate to the other cars, and let me ride shot-gun.  As caravan leader, he would provide me with instructions to relay to the other cars.  He referred to me as his “comms officer,” which was pretty high praise!  Mark was a fun, fiercely intelligent, thoughtful person.  I am sorry for your loss. 


Ann ... I lost your number ... can you give me a call?   520.545.8691

Dear Ann,

We were so sorry to learn that Mark had passed. Although we did not talk that often i did enjoy the times we would. If there was a tornado or other event going on in St. Louis he would check in. We had talked only a few weeks before his passing. 

I do not use Facebook regularly but Madeleine does, She and I would enjoy his quirky posts. I fondly remember the camping and canoeing trips we would go on while in Scouts. 

My earliest memory of Mark goes back when I was almost six years old and he about five. Our families were having dinner at his parent’s home. We were playing in the basement when we found a sheet of plywood leaning against a wall. 

Mark said something like, “Darn these spongy things are growing in it.” So we pulled them all off. I remember we left his house quite abruptly after his Dad found all the plants and trees had been removed from the train set he had been building for Mark.

Madeleine and I are truly sorry for you and your brother’s loss. Mark will always be fondly remembered by both of us.

John


Ann, I am so sorry for your loss!  I met Mark 35 years ago when we were both stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio.  He was a major and I was a 1LT.  He taught me so much about engineering!  I was very junior, and only had a limited amount of book knowledge about engineering.  Mark was the ultimate engineer - smart, thorough, knowledgeable about theory yet coupled with an enormous practical understanding of how things worked.  He was generous with his knowledge and patient with me, spending much time explaining how things worked.  Once, I traveled with him and a couple of others to Virginia to review a design at a subcontractor's facility.  We had a couple of hours to kill after our meetings finished and before our flight.  Mark found a train museum somewhere in the area, and off we went!  Mark's enthusiasm for all the different trains was contagious. With his careful explanations, I began to understood the technology that had once served as the primary connector for Americans from East to West, and felt his passion for how each train design demonstrated constant innovation. Now that I'm a more senior engineer, I can only hope that I demonstrate the patience and kindness that I still remember in Mark all these years later.  And Ann, you were the perfect partner for Mark.  You are smart, warm, calm, a person of deep convictions and thoughts, and you made him so very happy. He used to joke in the office all the time about how he married way up, and we all agreed with him! I am thankful for the time you two had together, and I loved seeing the photos of the adventures you shared in Mark's post-USAF career. Prayers and best wishes to you, Ann, during this challenging time. Jennifer and Ed 

I first met Mark as WA0LIT, his Amateur Radio call sign, when he checked into a two-meter repeater in Orlando, Florida.  Mark was down here as an Air Force contract supervisor over a project being developed by Martin Marietta.  He was flying out of Dayton, Ohio where he was stationed.  We eventually became good friends and he would stop in and visit when he was in town.  He took my family and me to visit a helicopter flying service here.  There, Mark introduced us to NASA Astronaut Al Worden, who autographed a photo for my daughter, who still thinks occasionally of becoming an astronaut, herself.

Mark and Ann stayed in touch with our family over the years.  We never visited them in Arizona, but they stopped by here in Florida occasionally.  Mark and I would have some great phone calls and I am going to miss him very much.  He was my go-to guy for aeronautical information.


I knew Mark from Camerafraud. He was a true leader and inspiration to the rest of us. He will be missed. Godspeed, Mark. 

So sorry to hear the sad news. Mark and I were neighbors and grew up together in Roseville, MN. We were fellow Explorer Scouts, Ham Radio operators and muscle car enthusiasts. Mark was one of the smartest people I knew. He was practical, innovative and creative. My deepest condolences to Mark's wife Ann and all of Mark's friends....

Mark was always a beautiful soul, helpful, supportive, and kind. My late husband helped Mark move a couple of cars cross country.  They had so much fun and created more memories together.  
Miss you Mark!   ♥️  
Love you Ann!

First met Mark on Speedway, we were both Dodge Challenger 426 Hemi guys. I was a racer and marked preferred to show his car etc. The last time I saw Mark was several years back at one of the Speedway Cruiser's Reunions. Mark was a great guy and will be missed

OBITUARY

Mark Clayton Spear

April 18, 1949 – April 29, 2020

East Lawn Palms Mortuary & Cemetery

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