Shirley Spear (nee Wagner), born in June of 1929 to Mary and Vernon Wagner in their ancestral home in Seneca County, Ohio, died on Dec. 22, 2023 at home in Oak Park.
Shirley graduated from Old Fort High School, Ohio. She and Walter were college sweethearts at Bowling Green State University. After Walt returned from serving in Japan, they settled in Cleveland, where she taught and raised two children. In 1979, they moved to Nashville and took up sailing on Kentucky Lake as a hobby. Some winters they chartered sailboats in the Virgin Islands with other couples.
The couple became co-presidents of their square dance club. She taught in Dundee, Michigan; Nashville; Tiffin, Ohio; and Cleveland). She also served as a camp song director and a tour guide of Nashville’s Parthenon.
She enjoyed singing throughout her life, church and college choir included. She was a lifetime member of the Nashville Symphony and gave private piano lessons in her home. She was a literacy teacher in Cleveland. The couple was active in church, YWCA, League of Women Voters, and the Red Cross.
In 2003, she moved to Oak Park to be near family and became a member of River Forest United Methodist Church and their choir. At Brookdale retirement home, she wrote for the newsletter, was on the Resident Board of Directors, tutored English as a Second Language to students, and traveled with family and friends.
Shirley is survived by her son, Greg Spear (Mary Kelly); her daughter, Jill Spear; her five grandchildren, Matthew Gonce (Anna), Aubrey Gonce, Bill Spear, Erin Spear, and Scott Spear; and her four great-grandchildren. Going before her were her husband of 39 years; her brother Ellis and wife Judy; and her sister Annette and husband Bill Franklin.
Gifts may be given to the River Forest United Methodist Church, River Forest, IL.
A memorial service will be held at Brookdale Oak Park in late January of 2024.
