Larry R. Spence

Larry Raymond Spence was born on May 27, 1936, in Echo Township, Michigan to Raymond Spence and Leonia (Free) Spence. He had one sister (Orpha) and two brothers (Lee and James).

He married the love of his life, Patricia Guenther, on May 6, 1961. They were married for almost 59 years. They had four children: Scott Spence (Linda Reynolds), Sheryl Valdez (Joe DeFranciscis), Todd Spence (Kalpana Gupta), and Renee Gerritsen (John Gerritsen). He had five grandchildren: Ashley Englert, Jessica Spence, Sheresse Spence, Madelynn Gerritsen, and Meghan Gerritsen. Larry’s family meant everything to him and he was so proud of them.

Larry was always an achiever and had a brilliant mind. After serving in the Army for four years and working as a builder, he attended Michigan State University in Petoskey to become a manufacturing engineer. In addition, Larry worked as a volunteer firefighter and diver for the East Jordan Fire Department. Larry worked at Allied Signal/Honeywell as an engineer and loved it for many years.  As many know, he was always busy with different projects. He loved creating stained glass art, woodworking, gardening, playing guitar, listening to music, and making wine. He was also an incredible cook. Additionally, he loved learning and continued to learn about history, chemistry and engineering throughout his life.

His greatest loves were his family and his Lord Jesus Christ. Larry loved to talk and share stories about the Lord. He belonged to the East Jordan Presbyterian Church. Larry went to be with his Savior on April 13, 2020. Larry will be greatly missed by all.

Larry’s family will be planning a celebration of life for later in the summer.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Larry R. Spence, please visit our floral store.