Milton E. Spence

Milton Edwin Spence, age 86, died Sunday, November 11, 2007 at St. Vincent?s Hospice Center in Indianapolis. Born November 29, 1920 to Arthur and Fanny (Phillips) Spence, he was raised on a small farm in southern Illinois during the turbulent ?roaring twenties? and Great Depression. The youngest of five brothers, he graduated from Southern Illinois Normal University and served in the Navy during World War II. Married while serving in the military, he and his beloved wife, Mary Beth, then moved to a farm outside Oakdale, Illinois. After brief stints as an agricultural teacher and a farmer, he started his primary career with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. During the late 1960?s he briefly served overseas as an agricultural advisor to the South Vietnamese government, then returned to continue his lengthy career with the U.S. Civil Service. Since retiring he has authored several autobiographical novels, historical novels about the pioneering Spenwick family and a novel loosely based on his maternal grandfather?s Civil War experiences. His family and many friends know him as both a true Renaissance man and a gentleman. He supported his church and country, but believed in ?tru...[more]

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amily values,? loving all of his very international family. He was preceded in death by his wife Mary Beth (Fox); infant daughter, Alice Louise Spence; his brothers Estel, Jewel and Ellis Spence; and an infant grandson. He leaves behind his daughter and son-in-law, Rita (Spence) and David A. Pavolka; his son and daughter-in-law, Donald Lee and Mary Eileen (Kelly) Spence; son and daughter-in-law, Steven A. and Pat (Dunville) Spence; brother and sister-in-law Voyle and Ruth (Prest) Spence; sister-in-law, Dorothy (Fox) Diehl; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and two special foster families, Phuoc and Khan Tran; Steven and Ann Quang; and their respective children and grandchildren. Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 14, 4:30-8:30 p.m. at Leppert Mortuary Nora Chapel, 740 East 86th St., Indianapolis, IN; the funeral service is Thursday, Nov. 15, 2 p.m., with visitation immediately preceding from noon-2 p.m. at Abundant Harvest United Methodist Church, 7840 Ditch Rd. Indianapolis, IN. You are invited to visit the website www.leppertmortuary.com where you may sign his online register, leave a personal message or make a memorial contribution in his memory to Abundant Harvest United Methodist Church.