M. Spear

M . Shepard "Shep" Spear , age 72, of North Andover, formerly of North Reading, died Tuesday, July 16 at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers.

Born in Winchester on June 27, 1947 he was the son of the late Manton P. and Barbara L. (Lunt) Spear .

Shep was raised in Lynnfield and attended Lynnfield Schools. He spent his senior year at The Tilton School in New Hampshire and after graduating went on to Maryville College in Tennessee. While in a freshman biology lecture, he met Susan Smith, his college sweetheart. The two married at the end of college and served as dorm parents at Maryville for several years before moving on to begin their own family. Yearning for familiar New England, Shep and Susan moved back and ultimately settled in and raised their family in North Reading where they lived for nearly 40 years.

Outside of his family, Shep's main focus and passion was his work as a self-employed residential contractor. As an active member of the Northeast Builders Association of MA he was named Builder of the Year in 1998.

He supported the North Reading community by serving on the Community Planning Commission in addition to being a member of several other town committees involving waste water management and capital improvements. He was a longtime member of the Centre Congregational Church and served on the Board of Trustees and sang in the choir. He enjoyed taking trips with his family to the beach in South Carolina; he also had a love of dogs, especially beagles.

He was the beloved husband of Susan (Smith) Spear . He was the loving father of Aaron Richard Spear and his wife Emilie of Superior, CO and Nathan Shepard Spear and his wife Eva of Summerville, SC. He was the brother of Craig Spear of Lynnfield and Bradford Spear of Amesbury. He delighted in his granddaughters Cora, Sonja, Lorna, and Vera.

His Memorial Service will be held in the Centre Congregational Church, 5 Summer St,. Lynnfield on Saturday, August 3 at 11AM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Arrangements are in the care of the McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Centre Congregational Church, Memorial Fund, 5 Summer St., Lynnfield, MA 01940.

August 03, 2019
11:00 AM

Centre Congregational Church
5 Summer St.
Lynnfield, MA 01940
(781) 334-3050