David John Spang

David John Spang, 86, passed away Saturday, October 5, 2024. Dave was born to the late Joseph and Sylvia (Anderson) Spang, April 24,1938 in Manchester, CT. He grew up in Wellesley, MA and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science from Tufts University, a Masters in Geophysics from Boston College, and a +30. He was married to his wife Gwendolyn (Hahn) for 65 years, living and raising four children in Sudbury, MA. Dave was an Earth Science and Physics Teacher at Lexington High School for 30+ years. During his years of teaching, he supplemented his income as an electrician’s apprentice, lacrosse referee and EMT/athletic trainer for LHS and started the LHS Ski Club, chaperoning kids on ski trips around New England and Europe. He was also active in Buddy Warner League as a ski racing coach (teaching all his kids to ski) and worked as one of the first three Naturalist Rangers of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Dave relocated his family to the Seashore every summer from 1963 until retiring from teaching in 1997 when he moved to the Cape to work as a North District Lead Naturalist full-time until retiring from CCNS in 2004. During his 40+ years at CCNS, he personally forged many of the original trails and created the popular Breeches Buoy Demonstration where he enjoyed his role as “Keeper” for many years. He continued volunteering and sharing his vast knowledge of history and nature with visitors at the Old Harbor Lifesaving Station, the Provincelands Visitor Center and as an active board member at the Truro Historical Society. Every other day he hiked out to the Center for Coastal Studies Wave Shack on the bluffs of North Truro to take measurements for a decade’s long erosion study.

He was a man of many stories, including those from his early years summering around the Mashpee ponds, working on the St. Laurence Seaway Dam, meeting Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe and Robert Frost, diving in the shark tank at the N.E. Aquarium and with friends in Provincetown Harbor, bringing home nontraditional animals from his time at the Boston Museum of Science and harvesting local seafood for many clambakes on the back beach. He loved being on the water in his boats, from sail to motor to briefly, even a lobster boat and tuna chasing on the Dixie II. In his 70s he replaced boats with golf clubs and took up golfing. Dave enjoyed fishing, birding, gardening, his labrador retrievers, N.E. lighthouses and making many soups, his famous zucchini relish, smoked bluefish and his traditional Swedish Christmas dishes. He treasured his home in Stratton/Eustis, ME where he enjoyed skiing, snowmobiling, hiking and spending time with friends and family. He lived a very full and active life.

Dave is survived by his loving wife, Gwen, two brothers, Stephen (Roberta) and Peter (Marion), his daughters, Deborah Dionne, Lynda (John) LaRiviere, Tracy (John) Wertis, and predeceased by his son, William (Silke). He loved being “Pappy” to his seven granddaughters, two step-grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. Services will be private, but a Celebration of Life will be planned for the spring. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Truro Historical Society ( https://trurohistoricalsociety.org ).